Guardian Of Keys
by Jigoku Tenshi
Summary: Her planet was the first to go. And she was killed in the process. Now she must become a guardian to the only one who can save them to redeem herself... if her spirit can stay remotely sane along the way. (My take on who the “All-knowing voice” is.)
1. Special: Breaking the Habit

**Not So Standard Disclaimer:** I do not own Kigndom Hearts or the song "Breaking the Habit". Nope, not me. They belong to Square-Enix and LinkinPark respectively. I'm just a poor high school student...though I did find nine dollars in the washer today... 

**Rating:** PG-13 for language, violence, gore, and...and...I won't say it! (Kazu: Future Romance... mwahahahahaha)

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/......(Kazu: -sigh- See above.)

**Summary: **Her planet was the first to go. And she was killed in the process. Now she must become a guardian to the only one who can save them to redeem herself. (My take on who the "All-knowing voice" is.)

**AN:** The old special was getting on my nerves...really it was.

* * *

**.:Guardian of Keys:.**

_Special: Breaking the Habit_

* * *

**Memories consume**

**Like opening the wound**

**I'm picking me apart again

* * *

**

It's dark...

So dark...

How could this happen?

Where did I go wrong?

Should I've listened to...to...

I can't say her name anymore. Have I wronged her again? Is that why?

* * *

**You all assume**

**I'm safe here in my room**

**(Unless I try to start again)

* * *

**

She thinks I'm safe and sound. That I'm in a place where harm could never come to me. Oh, how wrong you are. You can't be more wrong _Onesan_. I wish you were here. But now...

* * *

**I don't want to be the one**

**The battles always choose**

'**Cause inside I realize**

**That I'm the one confused

* * *

**

Every...everyone's expecting me to do something great, to turn the battle around. Th...they're all trying to force me to join a side in this war. I try to be strong. No matter what they say, act like I know what I'm doing. But I'm so confused _Onesan_...so confused.

* * *

**I don't know what's worth fighting for**

**Or why I have to scream**

**I don't know why I instigate**

**And say what I don't mean

* * *

**

I feel like screaming. All the pain and sorrow I've gone through has been building up inside me, I feel like I'm going to explode. I need help...

_Gomen_ _Onesan, gomen nasi_! I didn't mean it. Don't be mad. I didn't mean all those terrible things I said to you! I didn't mean to hurt you! I don't even know why I even said those things! _Onegai_...I...I need you, _DON'T LEAVE ME ALL ALONE!!___

* * *

**I don't know how I got this way**

**I know it's not all right

* * *

**

I don't know when it started. I had wanted to see you for so long. But... when I saw you... I couldn't bring myself to say "I forgive you". I tried _Onesan_. I really did.

* * *

**So I'm breaking the habit**

**(I'm breaking the habit)**

**Tonight

* * *

**

I'll say it next time I see you. I promise. There is going to be a next time...isn't there? What am I saying, of course there is! As long as... as Riku doesn't give in.

* * *

**Clutching my cure**

**I tightly lock the door**

**I try to catch my breath again

* * *

**

_Onegai_ Riku, don't listen to them...they aren't telling the truth! The only want to use you..._why won't you LISTEN to me?! Can't you hear me?! They won't help you bring Kairi back!_

They've taken you away from back..._onegai_? Riku...I love you, Riku...don't leave me here...

* * *

**I hurt much more**

**Than anytime before**

**I had no options left again

* * *

**

_Kami-sama_...I'm crying again. Why do I have to be so weak? It's not fair. Heh that makes me sound really strong doesn't it? Yeah right. But what else can I do, damnit? _Nothing!_ Not while I'm still trapped here!

* * *

**I don't want to be the one**

**The battles always choose**

'**Cause inside I realize**

**That I'm the one confused**

**I don't know what's worth fighting for**

**Or why I have to scream**

**I don't know why I instigate**

**And say what I don't mean**

**I don't know how I got this way**

**I'll never be all right**

**So I'm breaking the habit**

**(I'm breaking the habit)**

**Tonight

* * *

**

But I'll show them... I'll show them all. I _will_ do something great. I _will_ break free of these chains. _And I will show them what happens when you cross a Jigoku!___

* * *

**I'll paint it on the walls**

'**Cause I'm the one at fault**

**I'll never fight again**

**And this is how it ends

* * *

**

It's my fault that all of us are in this mess, only I should take the blame. I won't run from it anymore. I'm _tired_ of running. It's time I stopped trying to hide from this... this _doom_ I've put us into and face it like the warrior I wanted to be.

* * *

**I don't know what's worth fighting for**

**Or why I have to scream**

**But now I have some clarity**

**To show you what I mean**

**I don't know how I got this way **

**I'll never be all right

* * *

**

You just wait _Onesan_! I'll _prove_ I can be a good soldier! I'll make it right with us... so we can be happy again. I swear I will!

* * *

**So I'm breaking the habit**

**(I'm breaking the habit)**

**I'm breaking the habit

* * *

**

_Ganbatte, Onesan_. See you on the battlefield!

* * *

**Tonight.

* * *

**

**End Special.**

**Word Bank:**

_Onesan_- elder sister

_Gomen/Gomen nasi_- "I'm sorry" and "I'm very sorry."

_Onegai_- please

_Kami-sama-_ roughly translated to "Divine Lord", in other words "God"

_Ganbatte_- Good luck!

**AN:** Neh, I love it. X3 It's soooooo much better than my last special...YAY! The trailer thing just wasn't workin' out for me...so I came up with this. Please R/R.


	2. Prologue: The First of Many

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts… there, I said it.

**Rating:** PG-13 for violence, language, gore…dare I say it future romance…

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Romance

**Summary: **Her planet was the first to go. And she was killed in the process. Now she must become a guardian to the only one who can save them to redeem herself. (My take on who the "All-knowing voice" is.)

**AN:** JT: The final page count is 19! This chapter was such a pain in the ass to write…

Kazu: You said it! I had to sit there and help you with it.

JT: After it got over 10 pages I wanted to end it, but if I did I would've cut off vital parts of the chapter, so here's a nice **long** prologue for you. **_But before you start reading _**I have a few announcements. 1). In case you haven't noticed, I'm a fan of Japanese anime… more like an obsessive fan, so I use a lot of Japanese in my stories. Deal with it. Translations are included. 2). For those of you who reviewed (thanks so much by the way) I have little "Review Corners" at the beginning of each chapter, so watch for your penname!

Kazu: -yawn- You done yet?

JT: I think so, yeah.

Kazu: Okay then, on with the reviews and story!

_Review Corner:_

**cliff the hunter:** YAY! My first reviewer! Arigatou for your support.

**Lisa:** -bows- Don't worry, I plan to.

**KingdomHearts309:** Heh heh, there's much more to come believe me.

**Ashley Pheonix:** Oh Kami you're sugar high… again. And yes Britt, it's your "Sora-muffin"… yes _and chapter 9 IS up so stop bugging me about it!_ You'll never let me live this down will you?

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_Thinking of you, wherever you are._

_We pray for our sorrows to end,_

_and hope that our hearts will blend._

_Now I step forward to realize this wish._

_And who knows:_

_starting a new journey may not be so hard_

_or maybe it has already begun._

_There are many worlds_

_but they share the same sky --_

_one sky, one destiny._

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**ANSEM'S REPORT 11:**

There is no doubt in my mind that the Heartless wish to devour the planets' heart. But what happens to the world after its heart is gone? Does it, like its inhabitants, disappear? Or does it become a hollow shell, overrun by Heartless?

To answer this question I will perform one last experiment before beginning my journey: observe the affects of the Heartless on a planet. Unfortunately, I cannot use Hallow Bastion for this. I am not about to risk everything I have learned thus far without knowing the full potential of the Heartless. I have, however, found a suitable replacement. Not far from here, I have discovered a small, almost uninhabited world for the Heartless to feed on.

No one will miss it.

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**.:Guardian of Keys:.**

_Prologue: The First of Many_

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Life was good in Makai. The days were warm, the nights were clear and captivating, and it was a time of peace. The people of Makai enjoyed this time of tranquility that was held between the two rival races of the world. One of these races was called the Cetra. They were a pure race, and held the ability to speak with the very planet itself.

The other, were the youkais (demons). An honorable and powerful race, they took pride in being great warriors. They came in many forms, ranging from elements to animal spirits, to beings that no human could possibly begin to describe.

But not all are welcome or respected by either of them.

One of these beings went by the name of Jigoku Tenshi, or JT, as she was better known. JT had fought in the Great War between the Cetra and youkai, and made an urban legend of herself. She'd slain countless soldiers, and never lost a battle. There was almost no one from either race who didn't know her name or of her deeds. And even though JT was one of the greatest warriors of Makai, she was an outcast. Looked down upon by both Cetra and youkai for what she was, even after proving her worth over and over again. A halfling. She was the product of a "forbidden love" – she couldn't help but laugh at that thought – between a Cetra and youkai. And because of that, she was a stranger in both worlds.

It was on this fateful day that JT sat atop her favorite sakura (cherry blossom) tree that stood not far from the outskirts of her home city. JT's waist length raven hair was in its usual style, tied in a ponytail with a blood red bandana which also attempted (and failed) to keep her long bangs out of her feral pale blue eyes. JT was dressed in the normal style garb for youkai soldiers, a red sleeveless shirt and black pants. But unlike other soldiers, JT refused to wear armor of any kind. Instead she had bandages on both forearms, a red bandana tied around her right upper arm, and leather fingerless gloves; the right glove had metal claws fitted into it. (Like Cloud's in the game.) In one of her elfin ears was a double-feathered earring, and in the other a simple gold hoop. Around her neck, a small black marble clinked against its chain.

It was times like these, where warriors were not overly needed, that she would sit and brood over the past. A past that she hated and would rather forget. '_Okaasan _(mother)._' _JT could still remember that day as clearly as ever. Who could forget that? Who could forget seeing their own mother slain by her own people in an attempt to save her child? Who could forget the hatred towards their father, who had left them both for dead? JT growled softly. The no good, cheating ba-

"JT!" The hanyou (half demon) in question looked up, shaken from her thoughts. Below her, stood a young girl, who was still in her early teens. She had long silver hair that nearly reached the back of her knees, and the same feral pale blue eyes as JT. The girl wore a blue sleeveless shirt, similar to JT's, and a black mini-skirt. A silver bangle wrapped around her right wrist, and it jangled as she walked. JT didn't need a second glance to know who she was. She smiled in greeting.

"Hey JH."

The girl smiled back. "I thought I'd find you here, Onee-san (elder sister)!" JH, Jigoku Hime, was her younger half-sister. You almost couldn't tell they were related however. JH was wild and cheerful, while JT was solemn, quiet, and very disciplined. JH was full youkai, she was half. JH had long silver hair that always hung free; she had black hair that almost never left its ponytail. The only thing they had in common were their eyes.

"So," JH said, "what ya up to, oh greatest 'nee-san of mine?"

She smirked, "What do you want JH?" The silver-haired teenager tried to look innocent, and failed miserably.

"Well, you could…talktotheCouncilandconvincethemtoletmejoin!" she said quickly.

JT shook her head. This again. "You're too young."

"But you joined when you were thirteen!"

"Those were times of war. And I can't say that anyone in the army ever gave much thought to my welfare."

"But-"

"Iie (no). When you're older."

"But-"

"_Iie_." JH gave a childish pout at this. There was no reasoning with JT. But it couldn't hurt to try again could it?

"JT…" The only response was an icy glare. "Damn…" Her sister groaned, then turned on heel and began to stalk off.

JT looked up. "Where are you going?"

"To see Kazu. At I can get more than a few sentences out of _her_." The raven-haired hanyou rolled her eyes at this and leapt from the branch she had taken refuge on. She landed with a soft _thump_ on the grass, and strode toward her waiting sister.

"Figured you'd come," she said as JT approached. Together they began to trek across the field, JH happily running ahead. In truth, JT would've preferred that her sister_ never _joined the ranks of the youkai army. She seemed, for lack of better word, too _innocent_ to be fighting and experiencing the terrors of war. JT wanted to protect that innocence at all costs.

She was nearing the peak of a tall hill. JH had already disappeared over it. At its base lay the capital city of the youkai empire, Konton-tokai – which translated from their native Wuatain (FF7 term, basically Japanese.) language as "Chaos City, named after its founder, worshipped protector, and legendary warrior. It was the jewel of the Youkai Empire, and no opposing army had every set foot past the massive stone wall surrounding it.

It was then JT glanced at the sky, and stopped, confused. The sky above her was black. Hadn't just been sunny and clear a few moments ago? "Hmm… that's strange," she murmured. The raven-haired hanyou shrugged and continued up the hill. It was probably nothing. Just a sudden change in the weather. Then a puzzling sound reached her ears. Screams. Her elfin ears twitched curiously. There was another sound as well. A great roaring and crackling. Her eyes widened. Screams and fire. The sounds of war.

Her blood ran cold as she reached the top of the hill. A swirling black mass was hovering high above the city streets. The city itself was bathed in red flames. JT stared in absolute horror at the scene. '_Who…**what** could've done this?_'

A silver blur shooting across the ground broke her trance. She caught sight of the blur as it disappeared behind the city walls. "JH! _IIE!_" she called. But it was already too late. JH had gone completely out of earshot. In the next moment, JT had vaulted over the granite wall and was trailing her sister. Though she was running her fastest, JH had a good head start. She would only catch glimpses of long silver hair as she ran around corners, but it was enough.

Finally her search had led her to the square. A rather large crowd had gathered there, the people seeking safety from the fire and whoever had started it. JT groaned, there was no _way_ she would find JH in this mess. But she had to try. The hanyou warrior pushed her way through the people as best she could. Her sister was nowhere in sight. She was nearing the center of the square when a chorus of deafening, inhuman shrieks ripped through the air. An eerie silence fell over the crowd. Not a sound was heard other than the banshee-like shrieks, like every insect and bird was holding its breath.

'_Something's coming…'_ she thought. She could sense it under the cobblestone road beneath her. She could almost _hear_ it moving and shrieking beneath her feet. She grasped the black gemstone that hung around her neck and muttered a single word, "Kontonken (Sword of Chaos)". The small gem began to glow pulse under her fingertips. (JT: JH, AP, Hikari… I have one thing to say: **_IT GLOWS! XD_**) There, now all he had to do was wait.

Then the ground under their feet began to shake violently. The shrill cries of countless creatures rose until it was almost painful. The road was abruptly ripped up in places, bricks raining down on the crowd of people, leaving gaping holes in the earth.

And out of them poured hundreds of bizarre creatures. Most of them were small and ant-like, their antenna twitching constantly as they went about. They looked rather harmless, but their razor sharp claws told a different story. The only other kind she glimpsed, were airborne. They were round like a balloon, and had no legs or arms, just a long spindly tail. If it weren't for the deadly teeth protruding from its mouth, she'd have considered them harmless as well. But both types shared the same traits. Both were completely black, like shadows, and had glowing yellow eyes.

The beasts wasted no time in turning on the townspeople. No one was spared. Men, women, children; all fell victim to the deadly claws and teeth of these shadow creatures. As JT ran through the square, many civilians collapsed in her path, screaming as the monsters tore at their chest. She noticed that once the people died, a small light left their body. And these creatures seemed to feast upon that light. The raven-haired hanyou leapt and dodged as she weaved her way through the massacre, searching for her sister _and_ a way out.

It became clear that just running around was not getting her anywhere. But how could she find JH in this mess? The answer came as she dodged yet another shadow that had lunged at her. '_Of course!_' she mentally berated herself, '_The rooftops. It shouldn't be too hard to find a ladder around here._' JT spotted her way out not too far from where she was. No more than thirty feet way, a wooden ladder leaned securely against a brick building.

JT shot off, sprinting towards it, avoiding shadows before they could take a snap at her. Those who got to close were sent flying backwards with a swift kick.

She heard the high shriek a little too late. JT twisted around, just in time to see a shadow lunging at her at a terrible speed. Its claws were raised, aiming straight for her dark-haired head. As it fast approached, a small white light appeared by her left hand. It had finally arrived. She grabbed at the light, snuffing it out with her gloved hand. Warmth instantly ran up her arm. The light grew and shone between her fingers. It kept growing brighter and then began to elongate. When it faded, a magnificent long sword was in its place. The blade gleamed brightly in the firelight, making the great winged beast, Chaos, the protector of the city, etched in the blade all the more frightening.

JT swung the newly summoned long-sword in an upward arc into the shadow's path. The slightly sickening sound of tearing flesh was all that was heard before the creature disappeared in a puff of purple and black smoke. She gave a small smirk of triumph at this. It was gone as fast as it came. JH was still missing. It was no time to celebrate. The warrior wordlessly made her way up the ladder.

As she reached the rooftop, she got a clear view of the carnage below. The mere sight of that much blood and death made even her stomach turn. This was not like the wars and battles she had been in… this was a massacre. Innocent blood was being spilled. _'That blood could very well be your Imouto-chan's,'_ a small voiced hissed in the back of her mind. JT shook her head violently, sending long black bangs twirling about her. No! She would _not_ let that happen.

She sped off across the rooftops, a deep frown etched in her features. JH could have been clear across the city by now. But where to? _'Of course! JH said she was going to see Kazu. The temple's the only place she would go.' _ JT continued to leap from building to building with the stealth of a giant cat. There weren't many shadows at that height, and most didn't notice her passing overhead.

She almost cried out in joy as she spotted the bordering walls drawing near. The temple wasn't far off now. JT quickened her pace. There was no time to lose! Her anxiety grew as she raced along the brick tiles. She had to find her sister before one of those creatures did. JH was no fool; she knew how to protect herself. But these shadows were a different story. If too many of them ganged up on her, she'd be done for.

JT gave a startled cry as the tiling directly in front of her burst into flame and collapsed. The warrior skidded to a stop at the hole's edge. The flames were a disturbing shade of violet. From the lilac flames rose a dark and foreboding shadow. This one was not anything like the others. It was a humanoid, though antennas sprouted from its head and a long snake-like tail swung stealthily behind it. In the middle of its chest, a small heart-shaped hole had been gouged out. She could see straight through it to the other side. The creature stared at her for a moment, deciding whether to kill her or leave her be. It must have been the former, for the large blade in its hand rose high above its head. (This is an Invisible for those that haven't guessed yet.)

JT swiftly dodged the blade as it came down at her. The strange weapon imbedded itself in the brick roofing where she once stood. Seeing her opening, she swung at the beast with full force. The creature threw its head back in pain as the Kontonken ripped through its side. Then it did something strange. I lifted the sword until only its point was in the tile, and then vanished in a burst of violet flame. Just like that, it was gone. The only thing left behind was the large blade. She slowly backed away from the weapon, casting a wary eye around her as she did.

"Did I…kill it?" she asked herself softly. "…Iie. (no) Its still here, somewhere." No sooner had the words left her mouth, small purple fireballs appeared around her. JT eyed them apprehensively. That couldn't be good. She took a step backward. To her surprise the fireballs followed her. A step forward. They followed. "Great," she muttered, "Just what I need."

The flames suddenly began to spin around the highly confused hanyou. Faster and faster the spun, becoming a single violet streak surrounding her. Then without warning, they spiraled in on her, burning her flesh. Burning pain exploded throughout her entire body. She bit back a scream of agony as the searing flames continued to assault her every nerve. It could only have lasted for a few moments. The fireballs disappeared all together, leaving JT gasping in pain and very much alone. Though it was fading, burning reminders of the attack lingered on her skin. She glanced wildly about her. '_Where is it?_' she wondered desperately. A soft hiss signaled the flames appearance once again, although this time around the sword still imbedded in the stone.

It hit her.

JT sprinted full speed at the blade as the flames spun around it. One by one they entered the weapon and lifted it off the ground. She slashed just below the levitating blade. The dull thud of the beast's severed head was drowned out by sounds of fire and death. The lifeless body of the shadow disappeared in a puff of black smoke, just like the others she had slain.

The raven-haired woman shook her head. What the hell was going on? What were these creatures? She wished she had the time to find the answers. But she didn't. Every second that ticked by meant that the chances of finding her sister, Kazu, and escaping were lessening.

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"KAZU!" The large stone doors of the temple burst open. JH stumbled over the threshold, panting and clutching her injured shoulder. A shadow creature had taken a swipe at her from behind. She looked franticly about the dim room. The torches set into the wall danced with bright blue flames, making the place seem eerie and bizarre. To her right was a small staircase leading to the floors above, where Kazu stayed. On the far end of the room was a black onyx archway. Beyond that, there were no torches. She had never been back there. She'd never had a reason to.

The guardian of the temple was nowhere to be found. A small part of her wondered if her friend had been devoured just like the townspeople. "Kazu?!" she called again. And just like before, there was no reply. '_Oooo…! Where is she?!'_ JH stomped her foot indignantly. There wasn't _time_ for this!

"Konnichiwa (Hello)?"

A young woman, about her sister's age, poked her head out the open staircase. Ebon fox ears twitched questioningly atop her black-haired head. Unlike her sister's hair – which was a black as night – the woman's had a metallic sheen to it, like threads of invisible silver had been weaved through it as it carelessly tumbled in waves to the small of her back. Feral silver eyes peered warily about the room singling in on JH. She wore a long black cloak, which covered shining silver armor. In her clawed she held a long metal staff with foxes engraved in it.

"Kazu!" JH exclaimed as she ran to the kitsune.

"Well JH-chan," said the temple guardian, "To what do I owe this visit?" She smiled down at the teenager.

"We have to hurry! There are these shadow… _things_ attacking the city!" Kazu's expression faltered, and then darkened. Her previously smiling eyes lost their shine, and the slit pupils dilated slightly.

"I know," she replied solemnly, "I've foreseen it for some time now. These creatures have come to prey on the hearts of our world."

"You… knew?"

"Hai. And because of that, I must protect this temple more than ever." JH gave the guard a very disbelieving look. Their home was in ruin, JT could be dead by then, and all she could think about was protecting the temple?! '_I'll never understand how an adult's mind works…'_

"Do you know what lies at the center of this place?" Kazu asked, as if reading her thoughts. Hell, she probably was, knowing Kazu. The silver-haired girl merely shook her head in response. "Then it is time you learned. Come with me." A swish of her long cape and she was gone, traveling through the onyx archway. JH stared after her with a mixture of great confusion and curiosity. "N-Nani?" (What?) But all the same, she followed hastily after the older woman. The space inside the arched doorway was just as it seemed: pitch black. She couldn't see her hand in front of her face. Blindly, JH groped her way along the passage, a hand on the wall to guide her. But sooner or later the wall became open air. An intersection. '_Great. Now where to?_' She looked in all directions, albeit that she could see nothing. But maybe, just maybe she could catch a glimpse of Kazu's silver staff, or hear her footfalls.

…No such luck.

A small pinprick of light off to her right caught her attention. That had to be the way Kazu went. In hope to catch up with her kitsune friend, JH ran blindly down the black hall. On and on she ran, the light soon about to engulf her.

A hand shot out.

It grabbed hold of her arm and began to pull her back into the darkness. Icy fear and panic rushed through her veins. She struggled to get away, to return to the light, but the hand gripping her was too strong. JH was about to cry for help, but an equally strong hand clamped over her mouth, muffling the scream.

"There are two rules I suggest you follow if you want to stay alive down here," a voice whispered in her ear, "One: You stick close to me and don't wander off. Two: Keep your voice down. There are thing in here that simply _detest_ being woken up." With that said, her captor released her. JH whirled around to face whoever had caught her.

"Kazu…?"

The kitsune in question nodded. "But I thought-"

"Not all things in this temple are what they seem, JH-chan. Here darkness can mean safety and light leads to a painful and terrible fate." The teen gulped slightly as she gave one last glance at the falsely welcoming light. Had she really almost walked right into what ultimately would have been her death? If so, her sister had been right about this place. It wasn't to be taken for granted. She trotted cautiously down the corridor, Kazu's hand on her shoulder guiding her every step of the way.

For what seemed like days the two weaved their way through the vast maze of stone paths. JH was almost certain that the city was burnt to the ground, and JT… every time her thoughts drifted to her aloof sibling, her mind conjured up grotesque images of JT lying in her own blood while those shadows feasted upon her flesh. Sure, she had first-hand experience in bloody warfare, but these things were in an entirely different league… weren't they? '_We might be the only youkai left…'_

"We're here," Kazu announced, startling JH out of her thoughts. She realized that they had stopped in what could only be the center of the maze of corridors. The room was made of the same onyx stones that made the archway at the temple entrance. It was so tall that she almost couldn't see the ceiling. Well, considering that the ceiling was black and that the room was only lit by a few torches, that wasn't too surprising. In the middle of the room was a large stone slab, so tall that JH felt if she looked towards the top, she'd fall backwards. But what caught her attention was not the size, however. The front of the stone was highly decorated. Ancient prayers of her people carved into its face. On either side of the great slab were statues of Chaos, their wings spread and fangs bared. And in the center of all this was the most unlikely thing one would expect in such a place. A keyhole. A giant keyhole. If the situation hadn't been so grim, it would've been comical.

"Er, Kazu?" she asked, "What is-"

"This keyhole might not seem special, but to those who know this temple's secrets, it is a treasure well worth fighting for."

"Which is?"

"This is what those little _beasts_ are after. They feed on the hearts of people, and even the very Planet itself. This," she gestured to the large keyhole, "is the passage to the Planet's core."

"What happens…" JH began uncertainly, almost afraid to know the answer, "What happens when the Planet's heart is devoured?"

"The world disappears, along with those on it." An uncomfortable silence fell over the pair. Disappear? How could an entire world just disappear?! It seemed ludicrous, but after all that had happened, anything was possible…

…………

…………

……_BANG!_

The women spun towards the door of the room. A deafening roar and the sound of a thousand claws scratching at the door came from the other side. Beside her, JH could sense Kazu go rigid and draw a shaking breath.

"They're here."

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Her heart leapt as the great stone temple came into view. If there was anyplace her sister would be, this was it. The temple guardian, Kazu, was on of the few people JT trusted. Not to mention a good friend. She had let her live at the temple for a while, before the military had begrudgingly given her a flat in the city. But this would always be her home.

JT stopped dead as she reached the temple courtyard. The granite doors had been torn off their hinges. Fragments of rock littered the grounds. She was too late. '_Iie…'_ The raven-haired warrior shakily stepped through the entrance. The interior of the temple was, without a doubt, in worse shape than the doors. Pillars had been knocked over, whole sections of the wall punched out, and the torches had been thrown to the ground, their bright blue flames burning the stone.

A low rumble suddenly shook the room, sending rocks falling from the ceiling due to the violent quake. Then came the strangest sound she had ever heard. A loud, inhuman cry echoed across the land. It almost seemed to be coming from the ground itself! The cry grew so loud that JT had to cover her ears.

"**_They're dying… my children, they're dying!" _** a voice said, overlapping the strange moans and cries. It was genderless, and nearly voiceless. Her heart was pounding furiously in her ears. Was it real, or was it in her head?

"Who's there?" As she said this, JT could sense the something zeroing in on her, and studying her intently. The whole ordeal was very disturbing.

"**_Rejoice!"_** it suddenly exclaimed. _**"One still lives! What is your name, Cetra child?"** _"Cetra child"? Well that was certainly new. When was the last time someone had called _her_ a Cetra? '_Never,'_ she answered her own question.

"**_Wait,"_** the genderless voice spoke, **_"Cetra you are not. I sense the youkai essence in you as well…" _**There was another long moment where the being examined the young warrior. **_"A hanyou?_ _You are the one called Jigoku Tenshi are you not?"_**

"How do you know my name?"

"_**Do you not recognize me, child?**" _

"Recognize you?" JT asked incredulously, "I've never heard your voice in my life!"

"**_You would deny your own heritage then?"_** Heritage? The Cetra…? In her mind, JT did a quick run through of everything she knew of the race.

'_Let's see… most Cetra are especially skilled in white magic and are trained to be White Mages, healing the sick. Even those who fought in the war knew curative magic. Those who are skilled in the Dark Arts _(Well that sounds Harry Potter-ish doesn't it?) _are usually the high-ranking soldiers. But **all** Cetra have the ability to speak to the Planets thems-' _She stopped there. That voice couldn't be the _Planet_ could it?

"Are you… the Planet?"

"**_Very good, child."_** A smile. She could feel without seeing that the Planet was smiling down upon her. It was short lived, as the general feel of the presence became grim. **_"Listen to me. Deep inside this temple there is something of great importance to me. Your sister and friend are protecting it from those creatures I at this very moment. Help them. I will guide you to them as best I can."_**

JT nodded, seeing as there was nothing else she could do, and disappeared through the blackened arch.

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Black smoke drifted into the air as Kazu's staff struck down yet another shadow. It hadn't taken them long to break down the doors. As soon as the stones had hit the floor, hoards of small ant-like shadows and also ones that resembled balloons had made their way into the room.

The kitsune's pupils dilated until her eyes were mere black voids. She raised her hand to a fallen pillar, and it drifted up into the air. The pillar flew forward, knocking into a fresh wave of balloon-like monsters. There was a resounding _pop!_ and they were gone.

Not far from her, JH was having a bit of trouble. One of the "balloon-shadows" had transformed into a small ball of light. It zoomed around the girl's head. Every time she threw a punch or kick, the light would fly away again. (And it wasn't easy to fight in a mini-skirt.) JH looked around as it dodged another punch. It had disappeared. "Where'd it go?" she wondered aloud.

A popping sound came from behind her. She whirled about, and came face-to-face with a rather bloodthirsty shadow. "_HOLY SHIT!_" JH exclaimed as it snapped at her. She dipped backwards so far that she fell to the ground as the creature charged her.

The silver-haired teen caught sight of the beast's long slithering tail trailing behind it. '_That's it!'_ She snatched it out of the air by its tail, and then rammed it into the corner of the ornate Chaos statue. It, too, disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

Grinning triumphantly, JH turned to her black-clad companion. "Hey Kazu!" she said, "How was that?"

The guard smiled. "JT would be proud of you. You really should-" Kazu never finished her sentence. Her eyes were wide, staring over JH's shoulder. "JT…?" she stopped, "JH, behind you!"

The teen finally noticed the familiar silhouette looming over her. _'Onee-san!' _She turned, and the smile on her face died. She was just in time to see the shadowed figure of an all-too-familiar youkai, and the long blade soaring down at her. Pain erupted in across her chest. _'JT…why?'_

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JT practically flew down the corridor, slashing through any shadow that dared bar her path. All the while the voice of the Planet whispering frantically in her mind. _**"Good child, good!"** _ it said, **_"You're almost there now."_ **It wasn't all that hard to figure out which direction to go in. Just follow the shadows.

And follow them she did. Killing them, she realize, was not _nearly_ as challenging as before. They seemed preoccupied with something, most likely the relic the Planet had told her about. In that state, JT could've walked among them and would go unnoticed. All the easier to kill them.

There was a faint light up ahead. From what she could tell, this light at the end of the corridor was where all the shadow were being drawn. As she neared it, the distinct sound of battle reached her elfin ears. "JH and Kazu are in there…" she murmured. The hanyou warrior increased her speed. _'Let them be alive… onegai_ (please)_…'_

JT skidded to a halt as she reached the entrance of the magnificent hall. The first thing she saw was the large amount of blood that suddenly spattered across the stone floor. The body of a young girl hovered for a moment or two, and then followed it. Long strands of molten silver fanned out around her, making the girl look like a bloody angel of sorts. But empty pale blue orbs stared lifelessly at the ceiling. A long, deep gash across her chest.

For a long moment, JT stood there in the doorway, motionless. Her mind was still trying to comprehend what had just happened. '_She's gone…' _ her mind chanted, _'Iie she can't be. Iie!'_ A silent tear made its way down her face. "Imouto-chan…?" Her sadness instantly turned to a murderous rage. The rage only grew as she noticed the shadow standing before her sister's lifeless body. But her rage turned to shock and pain as she got a good look at it. '_It looks…like me!'_

Her sister's attacker – though was inky black and had fluorescent yellow eyes – was an exact replica of herself. Right down to the black chain and gem around its neck. In the scarcely lit room, anyone could've mistaken it for the real thing at glance. Did JH believe it was her? Such a thought made her blood run cold. Did JH think that _she_, not this shadow, had done this? Of course she did… and that made the rage return with a vengeance. How _dare_ this beast try to turn JH against her!

The hand gripping her sword clenched, knuckles turning white. Specks of crimson dotted the pale blue of her irises. Blood rushed through her ears, blocking out everything else. A single word floated to the surface of her mind. _**'KILL.'** _JT lashed out at her "copy", slicing it in two as it loomed over JH's crumpled form. With a faint hiss the shadow faded away, and all was silent. The creatures had stopped coming at the moment. There was no sound in the room. Just complete, and utter…silence.

There was a loud _clang!_ as the Kontonken hit the onyx floor. JT stared at it numbly; her long bangs overshadowing her eyes. She'd somehow always believed that some higher being had always liked to pick on her and her only… and now she knew it was true. Everything had been going well. The war was over, her bastard of a father was dead, JH was living with her, and the city was prospering. And now, in one fell swoop, all of it was gone.

Her head shot up as a clawed hand touched her shoulder. Expecting to find Kazu's saddened and sympathetic face, she turned to face her friend. She got a surprise. Though it was indeed Kazu, the kitsune's face as contorted in intense concentration, her ebon ears twitching madly atop her head as she stared down at JH. Shrugging it off, JT wordlessly reached down to sweep her sister's lifeless eyes shut, but stopped short. Was it her imagination, or was JH breathing? She could've sworn she'd felt a small puff of warm air caress her wrist. She placed a pointed ear to JH's heart.

_Thump…………thump…_

She jolted upright. She was alive! Barely, but alive! Kazu kneeled beside JT, her ears twitching as before. So that's what she had heard. The guard raised her hands to hover just above gash on the teen's chest, but a metal-fitted hand grabbed her arm. JT deftly pushed her away. "You've used up too much energy as it is," she said shortly. Kazu was about to protest that she had enough energy left for a simple healing, but the warrior's own hands had replaced Kazu's. A soft white light encased them. It worked its way into the gash with a soft crackle here and there. Muscles, bones, and delicate nerve endings began to slowly knit themselves together. The once deep cut became slightly shallower and the sound of JH's labored breathing was becoming more and more audible.

The kitsune woman next to her tore off a strip of her long black cloak. She hurriedly wrapped it about the wound to stop further loss of blood. "We need to get her to a proper healer."

JT frowned. "I don't think there are any left. Most have probably been killed off by now."

"**_HURRY CHILD!"_** JT almost jumped out of her skin at the Planet's sudden shout. **_"THEY'RE COMING IN FULL FORCE! LEAVE NOW!"_**

The warning came all too late. The hanyou warrior glanced up in time to notice the large yellow eyes staring down at them from the darkened corridor. In a flash, both women were on their feet, weapons drawn. The eyes of the creature glittered maliciously at the sight of them. It sluggishly stepped into the room.

The warrior and guard took an unsteady step back as it did so. It was huge! The gigantic humanoid shadow with a great heart-shape cut out of its torso stood at least thirty feet tall. Its clawed hands were about the size of a person, flexing in anticipation and twice as deadly.

The raven-haired hanyou tilted her head towards her companion, though never taking her eyes off the beast. "Kazu," she said in hushed tones, "do you think you can get us outta here?"

"Probably. Don't know how far we'll get though." JT nodded slightly. It was better than nothing.

"Okay, here's the plan. I'll distract ugly here while you and JH make an escape. I'll follow you."

"But what about-"

A small chuckle. "We don't have much of a choice here, Kazu." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kazu hesitantly nod.

The creature took a step forward.

"Ready?"

Another step.

"One."

Black claws rose high in the air.

"Two."

They suddenly lunged down at the two.

"THREE! MOVE!"

JT and Kazu leapt in opposite directions, Kazu carrying the unconscious teen. Both landed safely out of harms reach. The tall shadow glanced between the warrior, and the temple guard, as if contemplating on which to devour first. JT slowly hooked two gold-fitted digits beneath the fold of the crimson bandana on her upper arm. After a moment of groping around, she found her "secret weapons" as JH had always called them. _'This way,'_ she silently beckoned._ 'Leave them alone, come this way!'_ But since when did _anything_ go the way she had wanted? The beast took the alternative, and lumbered after her comrade.

"No you don't!" JT whipped the four-point shurikens (ninja stars…like the small ones Yuffie uses) from their hiding place. The small stars sliced through the air, landing dead center in the back of the giant shadow's dark head. At the obvious pain, it swiveled around on the spot to face its new attacker. Surprisingly, the high-pitched shrieks that the other creatures made when hit did not come from this one. In fact, nothing left the shadow's mouth. Though there was no sound, the beast's expression of primal malice said enough for it.

Large black hands lunged forward. JT nimbly leapt up and onto one of them, sprinting up its long arm. She slashed repeatedly at its unguarded head, sending the beast into a blinding rage. With an angry swipe of its claws, the hanyou warrior was sent flying across the room.

--------------------------------------------

Kazu idly watched the fight out of the corner of her eye as she worked on summoning their escape route. It was a portal, which she was well known for being able to conjure. And as much as she hated to admit it, Kazu inwardly thanked her training in the telepathic arts. The downside: her sensei (teacher/master) had been an _ass_. No other way of putting it.

She chanced another peek at the battle. It took all her will power to keep her mental hold on the portal as her partner was tossed carelessly into the base of one of the Chaos statues. JT slowly stood, wincing as she did so. Kazu shifted her foot backwards. She needed help and needed it now! If only she could-

JT was giving her a commanding glare, having caught on to her quickly forming plan. "Do your job, I'll do mine," it said.

Swallowing the anxious lump in her throat, the guard meekly nodded and went back to her previous task. Its presence, she noticed, had become distant. Kazu let out a mental curse. The portal was moving away. '_Terrific.'_ She strengthened her telepathic grip on the portal ten-fold. They needed to get out of there before that beast got smart and decided to kill them.

A small explosion of energy came from behind her. Kazu couldn't help it, she glanced back. A small gasped slipped from her open mouth. Hundreds of black spheres, smaller versions of the one above the city, were flying about the room! And at least five were headed her way! _'Come on, come on!' _ the kitsune silently begged. _'Work!'_ With one last attempt, Kazu put all her remaining energy behind summoning the portal. The high whistling of the spheres pounded in her sensitive ears. Any minute now and…and…

……it stopped?? There was a single, sharp _twang_, followed by many small explosions.

Kazu hesitantly opened her eyes. Had she closed them at all? Wait, where were the hundreds of black spheres? She could have sworn… a glint of light across the way caught her attention. Upon closer inspection, she found it to be… a shuriken? One of JT's shurikens?

The only beings left were the giant of a monster and JT…but something was different about her. There was a new look about her, an aura of maniacal strength that weaved its way about her soul. Her eyes were half closed, as if in a trance, and her face was blank at the moment. But all the more disturbing, her eyes were a frightening shade of blood red. For even a youkai to have eyes like that was rare. _Very rare._

Kazu was awestruck as she watched her partner smoothly dodge the great beast's attack one by one. She truly was a great warrior of legend. Horrific tales of her efforts during the war were well known in the city. But most who'd actually seen such events…never lived long enough to talk about it. Tales like that had sprouted from the bloodiest battles of the war.

A small popping noise behind her cut short her awed musings. It was a sound she had heard many times over the course of her life. But all the same, Kazu readied herself for battle. Those strange shadows made a similar sound when they appeared. Slowly, cautiously, the black clad youkai pivoted on heel. To her immense relief, a small swirling vortex floated lazily in midair. A grin crossed the kitsune's features. Their escape route was here.

Who knew what lay on the other side of it. She sure as hell didn't. Kazu had only used portal traveling for quick appearances on the Planet's surface. Using them to go to _other_ Planets was new to her. _'**If** it's even possible,' _she reminded herself. They were definitely going out on a limb here. There was a _very_ good chance it would lead to their doom. A dizzying haze fell over her as she stared in it. For something so uncertain, it certainly was beautiful. There were so many different colors that weaved into the dominating blue of the swirling vortex. Kazu shook her head to clear her mind of the haze. No time to be getting cold feet. Gently lifting the unconscious JH off the cold stone floor, Kazu prepared to face this new JT. Would she listen, was the question.

To her great surprise, the JT before her was the same old hanyou she'd always known. Her eyes were back to their glowing pale blue, and the strange aura was gone. Had she merely imagined it? Kazu gave looked JT over. And that was when she began to notice her friend's condition.

There was no lie in saying the woman had done her job to distract the beast. In fact, she was accomplishing that almost _too_ well! Countless scrapes and small cuts littered her arms and legs, the worst being a deep slash almost directly under her right eye. Her clothing was ripped and ragged, and her raven-black hair fell limply into face, dripping with sweat. The crimson bandana, surprisingly, was still intact, if a loose. But she was enjoying every minute of it. Oh yes, that telltale smirk said volumes to Kazu.

She sighed. Soldiers…especially the high ranking ones.

"JT! Time to get outta here!"

"You guys go ahead," JT replied as she slashed at the monstrous shadow. "I'll be there in a minute."

"JT-"

"Just go! I got this!"

"Baka (idiot/stupid/fool) bloodthirsty soldiers," the guard muttered with a slight growl in her voice. She irritated blew a strand of silver-black hair from her eye, her hands a being a bit full at the moment. "Fine, but if you die I swear I'll spit on your grave and curse your existence." If JT ever replied to her threat, Kazu didn't know, for she had already stepped into the portal.

Going through interplanetary portals, Kazu soon discovered, was very different than what she was accustomed to. With direct portal gateways, one could step through and be in their desired destination. This, however, was a demented form of being sucked down a drainpipe. The overpowering current fought hard to pull the two in all different directions.

It was a hard fight to stay balanced and in control with dead weight holding her down, but she somehow managed. Once in control, Kazu cautiously observed the interior of the tunnel. The gateway her world lay behind them. All around was an endless sea of blue, green, gold, violet, and colors she could not name. The tunnel stretched ahead of them for eternity. There was no end to it!

And so the kitsune guard fought the current, occasionally glancing over her shoulder for her comrade. It shouldn't have taken JT this long to escape could it?

_Swish………swish._

Kazu's ebony fox ears perked up. '_What was that?'_

_Swish……swish._

There it was again. Kazu looked around wildly. Up ahead to her left was a small tunnel leading away from the main one. Beyond that she could see a gateway to another world. _'It's too close to ours,'_ she decided, _'Those creatures could easily make it there.'_

_Swish…swish._

Okay, now that damned noise was starting to grate her nerves. It was closer now. There was nothing around her, no, but _something_ had to be making that racket. And she'd heard it before, like a faint whisper in the back of her mind. It sounded almost like the- her feral eyes widened- the black spheres.

_Swishswishswish…BAM! _

White-hot pain rushed through her veins as something exploded against her back. Icy fire licked hungrily at her flesh, intensifying her agony. Through the haze of pain, Kazu vaguely felt herself being separated from JH before being pushed forward from the force of the explosion. The last thing she remembered was seeing a flash of silver being thrown through the gateway she had just passed, and then all went black.

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The raven-haired hanyou took one last look at her destroyed home. That _thing_ had soon become bored with trying to kill her, and went straight for the Keyhole. The relic that the Planet treasured so dearly, and with good reason. It would have been beneficial though, to have some kind of warning to what that relic did. In the past, Kazu had only given cryptic answers to what it was, no matter how many times she'd asked.

It actually seemed rather obvious now that she knew. With all the other strange things in the temple, she couldn't see why she hadn't guessed in the first place. A path to the core of the Planet, a treasure well worth protecting. And at that very moment the core was being tainted and devoured by those vermin. The Planet was deteriorating. It was time to leave.

And so, with a fleeting glance at the fast vanishing temple, JT dove through the portal. The first thing she realized as she entered the tunnel was that it too was deteriorating. Kazu was losing her hold on the connection. As she drifted, the currents threatened to smash her against the wall. But she fought them. JT nimbly steered herself away from them, though only enough to not hit the walls and stay at the same speed. She rounded the bend of the vortex, and came to an abrupt halt. She was staring deadest into the yellowish eyes of another JT look-a-like. But this time the tables were turned.

A trickle of warm blood made its way from the corner of her lips. Air was fast leaving her lungs and her entire body went cold. The once agonizing pain flared slightly and then numbed as the shadow slowly withdrew its dark sword from her stomach.

The great swirling colors of the tunnel, she fleetingly observed, had become an endless black. She was alone in oblivion. Her and her mutant shadow. As the creature raised its bloody blade for the final blow, only one thought crossed her mind:

'_Wonder if Kazu plans on keeping that promise…'_

**End Prologue.**

JT: And that people, is the extremely LONG beginning of our story.

Kazu: Let's see, you're dead, JH is as good as dead, and I'm Kami-sama knows where… what a _great_ first chapter JT! -end sarcasm-

JT: Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny.

Kazu: You'll be pleased to know that my oh-so-cheerful partner here has already finished writing the next chapter, and its not even HALF as long.

JT: But I still gotta revise it. R/R everyone.

**Kitsune**- Fox demon. Kitsunes are known for there powers in the illusionary arts, and were said to be quite good at mind tricks. Perfect for a temple guard who can read minds huh?

**Hai**- (Pronounced Ha-e) Formal way of saying 'yes'.


	3. Chapter 1: Unwanted Welcomes

**Disclaimer: **The only things I own are JT, JH, Kazu, and their weapons, attacks, etc.

JH: DO I LOOK LIKE I'M OWNED?!

JT: Okay, everyone accept JH… and me… I guess.

**Rating: **PG-13 for language, violence, gore, and future romance. (I can finally say that without cringing now.)

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Romance

**AN:** JT: This chapter was _much_ easier to write. Only about six or so pages without revisions.

Kazu: Which is a lot of weight off my chest.

JT: Aa.

_Review Corner:_

**Pheonix Feathers:** A bit too lazy to log in today Britt? And yes I know it was long. Believe me I never intended it to be that way. And as for your Sora-Muffin? He won't show up for the next chapter or two, but other KH characters will make appearances before then.

**Jigoku Hime:** This just never gets old does it? All excited for your big role huh? –grins- For everyone else…IT'S A SECRET!

**Rurouni Saiyin:** It took me and Imouto-chan _months_ to get the characters past and personalities worked out right, and look what it's transformed into! About that "hai" and "aa" thing, I'm not quite sure where I heard about the gender idea, but I had heard the formal/informal one. Just was a bit confused on it that's all.

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**.:Guardian of Keys:.**

_Chapter 1: Unwanted Welcomes _

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The first thing she realized upon regaining consciousness, was that the general area of her right shoulder to her left side hurt like hell. Her entire body was sore, yes that was apparent, but it was noting to the searing white daggers that attacked her torso. A small whimper of pain slipped past her dry lips. Gods she was thirsty. She felt like she had been stranded in a desert for weeks on end. And though her eyelids felt like lead, she stubbornly willed them to open.

If she were able, she would've screeched at seeing the large amethyst eyes staring directly into hers. She settled for leaning as far as she could into the soft pillow. _'Wait…pillow? A bed? Where am I?_' The eyes blinked at her, and she returned the gesture. But she was not prepared for what came next.

"She's awake!" The high shout that came from the person, most likely a child, made her instinctively shut clamp her eyes shut. Holy, she wished she had the strength to cover her ears. "Oi! (Hey!) She's awake!" When no one replied, the child continued to screech loudly. Her ears were ringing and her head pounded. '_Shut up kid…'_

As if the child had heard, the insanely loud cries came to a halt. A shadow cast over her. When the girl opened her eyes again, the child had been replaced with a young woman looking concernedly down at her. She started when the woman's cool hand swept across her brow.

"You've got a bit of a fever," the woman said softly. "But at least you're still alive."

"Where…where am I?" she questioned weakly. Cautiously, she lifted her body to lean against the headboard, hissing in pain as the injury across her chest rebelled. The woman who had spoken was in her early twenties by the looks of it. Her soft brown hair was haphazardly into a ponytail to keep it from falling into her dark green eyes. A simple pair of glasses rested on her nose, for what she needed them for, the girl did not know. The woman wore a white lab coat that reached her knees, and from there she could see that she was wearing jeans. Maybe she was a scientist of some sort.

The woman in question pushed her glasses back up to the bridge of her nose. "You're in my home near Hallow Bastion castle, sweetie," her voice was timid and soft. "You've been sleeping for quite some time now. Three or four days at least! We were afraid you wouldn't make it." She saw the strange look the girl was giving her and laughed softly. "Oh, gomen (sorry). You don't even know who I am. My name is Shera, I work in the mechanics lab at the castle."

Hallow Bastion…? She'd certainly never heard of it. Was she in another world? As unlikely as it sounded, it made perfect sense to her. This Shera did not have the aura of a youkai nor a Cetra. She was something entirely different altogether. Her aura was not that of a hanyou either. She'd spent enough time with JT to-

Pale eyes widened as memories of the past few days rushed back to her. JT… JT was the reason that she was here now, with this gash in her chest. But why had she done it? There was no reason for her sister to betray her like that… was there? As she pondered this, silence reigned. Shera was peering curiously at her, questioning the forlorn expression.

"Jigoku Hime."

The mechanic jumped slightly. She hadn't expected the girl to speak. "Sumimasen?" (Excuse me?)

"My name… it's Jigoku Hime. But everyone called me JH." At this there was a small high-pitched laugh from the doorway. There stood a small girl, snickering silently.

"Jigoku Hime? That's a funny name!" JH instantly recognized her voice as the child who oh-so-rudely awakened her. Now that she got a good look at the girl, she thought the child seemed incredibly sneaky, even for her apparent age. Her short black-brown hair framed her round face. She wore a green hamaka and gi with a white headband wrapped around her forehead. She giggled again. Annoyance prickled in the back of JH's skull. Thought her name was _funny_ did she?

"Yuffie's not a very common name either y'know." A curtain of pink appeared behind the girl. Glancing up, the teen saw that the newcomer was merely a girl, which looked to be around her age. She had long chocolate brown hair done up in a thick braid, with two long curls on either side of her face. The dark pink ribbon that was loosely wrapped around her braid sported a small white marble that reminded her greatly of the black one that _she_ always wore. Two long bangs fell softly into the girls sparkling emerald eyes. The girl wore a long sleeveless pink dress, with a blood red jacket over it.

The black-haired child became indignant. "No it's not!"

"JH," Shera said, gesturing to the girls. "This is Yuffie and Aerith. They're the ones that found you." She appeared to want to say more, but a loud slam from another part of the house stopped her. There were heavy footsteps somewhere beyond the door, and then a pause.

"Shera!" The rough voice made JH jump. "Get in here and make some goddamn tea, will ya?!" (I couldn't help it!)

Shera sighed. "Well, I'll have to leave you three for a while. The Captain won't be happy until he gets his tea." She rose from the chair that she had been sitting in, and quickly left the room.

"Who is the 'Captain'?" The silver-haired teen asked.

Yuffie mock saluted. "Sir Cid Highwind! The grumpiest geezer this side of Hallow Bastion!"

"Be nice Yuffie!" Aerith scolded, though with a bright smile. "He's not that old." JH couldn't help but notice that the "grumpy" comment had gone uncorrected. Which meant it was probably true. Then the teen turned her smiling face upon her. "I'm sure you're a bit confused right now. I would be too. Waking up and finding yourself on another Planet like this."

JH let out a gasp – which, because of her injury became a pained hiss. How did she know?!

"Does it pain you greatly?" JH looked up to find that Aerith had sat herself on the bedside chair, a sympathetic smile plastered on her features. "I think I can help with that." Reaching atop her head, the pink clad girl untied the small orb from her hair, and held it in cupped hands over the wound on JH's chest. She closed her eyes, lips forming words that no one could hear. The glass marble began to glow with a soft light.

Soothing warmth spread through her veins, washing away any trace of pain. As the moments dragged on, the once devastating wound became scarless flesh beneath the bandages. Aerith replaced the orb into her hair. "There," she said, "That should do it. You're very fortunate, really. Someone had already used high level curative magic on you."

JH sat upright. There was still a dull ache, but it was bearable. Leaning against the headboard once again, she mulled over this new information. Curative magic…it had to have been Kazu. There was no one else she knew who could have used that kind of magic. Certainly JT – the mere mention of that name left a bitter taste in her mouth – wouldn't have. In fact she was probably too busy trying to finish of Kazu, in her opinion. And now here she was, in a place she hadn't even heard of, with people she didn't know.

Upon seeing her saddened face, Aerith leaned forward at the waist, hands folded behind her back. Looking quizzically up at the teen, her own face became sad. "Hey, you… okay?" This simple question gained Yuffie's attention, and soon she too was wearing the same expression of puzzled concern.

Though so small, the show of concern surprised JH. There were people she'd just met after all. The teen in turn studied each of the two sympathetic faces, searching for the answer to an unvoiced question. And in both she found it: she could trust these people. She could tell them her tale and trust them to keep it a secret.

But the question was: could _she_ tell the tale? Was _she_ ready to tell details of something that she herself nearly retched at the thought of?

--------------------------------------------

"Hey, kid…"'

'_Nani?'_

"Kid…"

'_Oh Holy. Just leave me be.'_

A sharp whistle.

'_Ugh…shut up damnit.'_

"Hey!"

A soft groan of annoyance. _'Can't they let people die in peace?'_

"WAKE UP!" Something shook her roughly.

Pale cerulean eyes fluttered open. They stared groggily at the blurred figure towering above her. "Let me be…" Her dry and cracked lips formed the words, but all that came from them was a hoarse whisper. Her pale eyes began to close.

"Oh no, ya don't!" As before, large hands clasped onto her shoulders, shaking her roughly. Once again she opened her eyes to a half-hearted glare at the offender. "Is Death always this annoying?"

"Hey, hey, hey! Watch it kiddo. Anymore o' that, and you'll be Cerberus' next snack," said the figure in an annoyingly fast manner, which proved too much for her sluggish brain to handle at the moment. She placed her weighted arms at her sides, and began the dizzying task of pulling herself upright. Her head swam for a few moments, before both it and her vision became clear.

The one who had awakened her, she was surprised to find, was a towering man – if one could call him that – with gray-blue skin. At least it appeared so, for the sweeping robe he wore only showed his arms and head. His long fingers were pointed at the tips, and were almost as sharp as the many pointed teeth that filled his grinning mouth. What made him stand out, however, was the fact that he had no hair. Instead, a small fire of blue flames sprouted from atop his head.

"Who-" she coughed. "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" he asked with a tooth smirk. The blue man stuck out his hand. "Hades, Lord of the Dead, nice ta' meet ya." When she did not return the gesture, the grin faltered, and finally faded. It was replaced with a deep frown. "People today," he muttered. "No respect for Gods whatsoever…" He went on to ramble about this issue.

Meanwhile, the girl at his feet had been musing over his words. _'Lord of the Dead…?'_

"I'm…dead?" she wondered aloud, still a bit dazed. As soon as the word left her mouth, she mentally chided herself. Of _course_ she was dead. She had to be. The memory of her death still stood clear in her mind. Her world's destruction, JH, Kazu, the Keyhole. All of it flashed across her mind's eye. There was no way she could've survived.

The blue man, Hades he had called himself, was suddenly right in front of her, the same hideous grin plastered on his face. "Weeelll…not anymore."

"N-Nani?"

"Ya' see… I like you. I really do. _You,_ the greatest warrior of your kind." Out of thin air, Hades conjured a very old, large book with bones holding it together. He quickly flipped through the frayed pages, his large red eyes skimming wildly across the writing. "Ah, here we go!" He pointed a long finger at a page. "'_Jigoku Tenshi: A hanyou of both youkai and Cetra blood. Grew up on the streets of Konton-tokai.'_ Yada, yada, yada… this is it! During the war between the youkai and Cetra, you killed your own father, eh? Leaving your sister an orphan, nice… nice. And here! You led a small battalion to storm the Cetra forts. '_Killed approximately 1,000 enemy soldiers in a series of battles.'_ Very nice indeed. Ah! _'Has never been defeated in battle.'_ Well, can't say that anymore…" Now it seemed he was talking more to himself than to her. He continued to mutter to himself over her life.

The book was snapped shut as Hades realized that the warrior he had been ranting over was now standing before him with an irked expression. The God cleared his throat. "Anyway, JT – don't mind if I call ya that do you ya? – I like you. And… to see such a great warrior as yourself die in such a way… it just breaks my heart."

"And this means what to me?"

"Ya got spunk, I need that around here. Especially for this job I'm tryin' to pull off. So I figure: I give ya yer life back, you do this little job for me. Fair enough hm?"

The warrior twitched. She _did_ owe him… "I… think I'll pass." JT turned on heel. There were other ways to repay a debt, and quite frankly, she didn't trust the God in the least. She took a step forward, but that was all she got before Hades was once again in her face.

"JT. Babydoll. Ya wanna find JH again right? You're little 'Imouto-chan'? And Kazu, hmm? I can make it happen, BUT-" he raised a hand of silence as JT opened her mouth to say something, "-you have to do this job for me first. So, how 'bout it?" The book disappeared in a puff of smoke and was replaced with a rolled up piece of parchment. With a flick of his wrist, the Lord of the Dead held the unraveled document for up for JT to see. "It's all right here."

'_A…contract?'_ JT sent a wary eye scurrying over the writing. It seemed decent enough… but…

She snuck a glance at Hades. The God was grinning expectantly. A small smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth. Snatching the paper from Hades, the hanyou warrior rolled it up, the telltale smirk now visible. A single gust of air banished the blue flame atop his head.

"I'll think about it," she grinned as she left the God of Death fuming.

Fists clenched, his skin beginning to turn a dangerous shade of fiery orange, the said God glared at the woman's retreating back. What an insufferable bitch that girl was! She _dared_ to think that she could humiliate him like that and get away with it. And after all he had done for her too! He'd brought her back to life, offered information on the location of her friends, and all he asked in return was one little favor, but did she gratefully accept in payment for his deeds? No!

"An insolent brat, isn't she?" Hades immediately calmed at the smooth woman's voice from the shadows. His hair was back, thank the stars, and he was back to his cocky self once again.

"Yeah, but she'll come around sooner or later."

"Sooner or later, true… true. But she could be your slave _now_. All you'd have to do is… _introduce-"_ there was an audible smirk at this, "-me to the girl."

"Nah, let's see what she does first."

"Have it your way. Just keep her away from the spawn."

"I thought he was your son."

There was a cold laugh. "Not hardly. He believed so when he was under my control. But now he does of his own will, and would do _anything_ to spite me."

"Interesting. I'll take your offer then. If she doesn't agree by the next tournament, she's all yours."

"Good…good."

**End Chapter 1.**

JT: All done! Finally… I've been typing nonstop (mostly anyway) all spring break. It's been all out Hell at school. Barely any time to write.

Kazu: But at least you got _something_ done during break.

JT: Aa. Anyway, kudos to those who can guess who the woman and the "spawn" is. And Brittany, you can't guess. You've already read the written version. :p

Kazu: -nod-

JT: All non-constructive flames will be given to the "Restore Hades' Hair" fund. Read and Review.


	4. Chapter 2: Welcome to Hell

**Disclaimer:** And for your viewing pleasure, my Imouto-chan will do the disclaimer:

JH: Onee-san doesn't own KH or its characters. They belong to SquareEnix and Disney. And if you sue her, she will fight you to the bloody death to keep her Kontonken!

JT: -pats JH's head- Good job Imouto-chan.

**Rating:** PG-13 for language, violence, gore, and future romance. (JH: -snickers-)

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Romance

**Summary: **Her planet was the first to go. And she was killed in the process. Now she must become a guardian to the only one who can save them to redeem herself. (My take on who the "All-knowing voice" is.)

**AN:** JT: I believe that this chapter was pretty fun to write.

Kazu: -snickers- Aa, 'cuz we all know what's going to happen in this-

JT: SHHH!!!!! It was JH's idea, not mine!

Kazu: 9.9 riiiiiight.

_Review Corner:_

**Rurouni Saiyan:** It's not Maleficent. Good guess though! After you suggested that, I realized that it could've easily been her, ne? As for the spawn… -grin- just wait and see.

**Rockman SP:** I'm glad, I'm glad…

**Jigoku Hime:** Aa I know you're excited Imouto-chan…

**darkreality11:** Arigatou for your support and constructive criticism on my procrastination problem… and you are right, if I don't get that under control I'll end up reviewer-less.

--------------------------------------------

**.:Guardian of Keys:.**

_Chapter 2: Welcome to Hell _

--------------------------------------------

Being dead was certainly a new experience. It was also noting like she had expected either. Of course, she wasn't exactly dead, now was she? Hades had told her that he'd brought her back to life. That meant she owed him, didn't it? _Perfect_. Just perfect. The last thing she wanted was to be in _his_ debt.

'_But he only brought you back to do his biding,_' a part of her argued. Which was true. JT could tell by the way he spoke and moved that the god like to control people, and that he didn't bring her back "out of the goodness of his heart". Playing off her honor… it made her blood boil at the mere thought of it.

She had more important things to concentrate on, however. Now was not the time to go into a fighting rage. Finding a way out of… wherever she was… was a must. Then finding JH and Kazu. And a whole different question all together was whether or not she should take Hades' offer.

If she agreed, finding her friends would be easy. But trusting him was something JT couldn't bring herself to do. An exasperated sigh passed her lips. Why did everything have to be so goddamn confusing?

She almost jumped out of her skin when a spout of green erupted from the crater beside her. How long had she been walking? It must have been for a while, because she didn't recognize her surroundings. Sure, the same drab grey stones were littered all over the place, there were gigantic pillars of rock that reached the ceilings, and the over all gloom remained the same; but this new area had a soft green haze lingering about it. Very different from where she had been awakened. The hanyou warrior realized that the mysterious green fog was coming from somewhere up ahead. Curious, JT followed the fog to its source, carefully picking her way past great columns of rock

A distant rushing and roaring reached her ears. JT strained them to identify the noise. _'Water…?_' she wondered. _'Sounds like water.'_ And there it was. After rounding the last bend, JT caught sight of it. It was a river… a _green_ river. "Well, this is new," she muttered, absently tugging at her left earring. Of course, this was "Hell" after all. The warrior slid her way down to the river's muddy bank. She was shocked to find that there were _people_ in the water. Thousands upon thousands of them, every single one of them skeletal and zombie-like. Dead souls. A river of souls. _'Now that's more like it.'_

JT peered closely at the souls as they passed. The few that noticed her reached out to her, attempting to pull her down with them. They were swept away with the current, however. The souls of those long passed stared up at her through sunken eyes, moaning and wailing in apparent agony. Even more intrigued, the hanyou knelt at the river's edge, a sort of morbid fascination washing over her. She caught a glimpse of her own reflection. Not much had changed about her, except there was a thin scar under her right eye. She reached up to touch it, while leaning closer to the water for a better look.

And that was where she made her mistake.

A frail, clawed hand shot from the glowing green of the river. It latched onto the muddy bank, making JT fall backwards. She stumbled away from it, losing the battle to hoist herself onto her feet. The soul however, had no such trouble. It slowly hefted itself onto the bank in a stiff manner, revealing the skeletal figure of a young man. The man's gleaming silver hair was pulled into a short ponytail at the base of his skull. The magnificent black and red wings that grew from his shoulders contrasted greatly with his pale skin and hair. But his eyes. His eyes were what sent waves of long buried fear racing down her spine. The terrifyingly familiar glowing pale blue eyes that she'd _never_ wanted to see again… it was _him. _The man who was at the center of her every nightmare.

Jigoku…Teo. Her _bastard_ of a father, the very image of malice that he was in the war all those years ago.

'_He's dead!_' her mind screamed. '_Why is he here? He's dead, I killed him!'_ But as the figure of her father – though it certainly wasn't her preferred choice of name – took a clumsy step towards her, she suddenly remembered where she was. That he _was_ in fact dead, and that he'd just stepped from a river of souls. It was still horrifying though, to see one's worst fear come back to haunt them. The hideous grin that crossed his lips was definitely _not_ helping matter, either.

"_You…_" The voice that left her father's mouth was raspy and dry. Not too surprising for being dead for nearly a decade. "_You…I'll kill you, little one. I will… have… revenge."_ He continued to move forward in the same stiff manner.

JT was at a loss, her mind blank from the initial fear of seeing this man rise from the dead. Terrible memories associated with Teo flashed across her mind's eye. Her mother's dead eyes, her life of the streets of Makai, meeting JH for the first time, the countless bodies of soldiers, the expression of pure hate her father gave just before his death, and lastly – and on a more pleasant note – a young man in Cetra armor who mouthed the words "watashi no chibi Tenshi". But even as the others passed, one single memory lingered longest: Teo watching and laughing from the shadows as her mother was slaughtered.

Hatred and malice rushed though her veins full force. Her gold-fitted fingers flexed experimentally. The same overpowering rage that had engulfed her at her sister's near death returned. The next thing she knew, she was lunging towards him, metal digits raised for the strike. The sunken eyes of her father widened slightly, and he jumped back, using his great wings to propel him through the air. He was still in peak condition (for a dead guy anyway) contrary to what his skeletal frame suggested.

"_Do you really think you can get rid of me that easily, girl?_" Teo sneered. "_You will not be so lucky this time around."_ The young warrior shifted her weight to prepare for the soon-to-come assault, but a snap and growl stopped her. She glanced over her shoulder, and immediately wished she hadn't. A small army of smoky dragon figures stood behind her. They were small, the tallest not even reaching her knee, and even though they were made of what seemed like smoke, the fangs that filled their mouths were very real indeed. Dragon spirits: her father's specialty. They surrounded her, in such a way that only two escape routes presented themselves: chancing the river, or finding someway past Teo. Neither seemed appealing.

The spirits snapped at her ankles. Terrific. She had to decide. If she tried to make her way past the dragons, she'd be eaten before she could take three steps. The souls in the river would like nothing better to drag her under with them that much JT knew. And as for Teo…

She chose the lesser of three evils.

Preparing for the worst, JT dug in the balls of her feet, not caring that the smoke-like creatures were nipping painfully at her legs. "_So even now you still think you can overpower me?"_ he said in his deathly voice. (No pun intended. ) The hanyou could not suppress an inward groan. '_He still loves to hear himself talk,'_ she thought. Her lips drew into a sneer at the cocky grin on his skeletal face. Even in death her father was still a cocky bastard.

Teo's shoulder shook with cynical mirth. "_You're still weak, girl. Now I will put you out of your misery once and for all!"_ With a flap of his mighty wings, he lunged forward, claws outstretched.

'_Now!'_ JT dove under the Dragoon's arm, narrowly missing the spikes at the tips of his wings. She broke into a run, trying to put as much distance between her and her father as she could. She didn't get very far. A frail hand latched onto her upper arm, twisting her around. Pain exploded in her ankle as it was twisted in a way that it was not meant to. JT lashed out with her free hand, managing to break free.

The raven-haired hanyou went sliding along the rocky ground. She gave a small hiss as the stones scraped against her limbs. But despite the pain, she forced herself ever so slowly to her knees, much to her body's protest. JT tried to ignore the dull ache that radiated from her every limb, and pushed off into a run. She barely made three steps before her ankle gave out, and she found herself back on the hard rock floor.

She was not surprised when her father's shadow loomed over her. The shadow's shoulders were shaking slightly in evil mirth. "_You cannot escape."_ She could see a clawed hand being raised. "_Now, DIE!_" On reflex JT's eyes closed, awaiting the final blow. After a moment or two, and still living, confusion started to worm its way into her brain.

Pale orbs hesitantly opened. Well she was alive, that was for sure. And the shadow before her was still there. So why hadn't… and inaudible gasp left her lips.

That was _not_ her father's shadow.

The raven-haired woman propped herself on one elbow, and pivoted around.

The man before her wore a long black leather trench coat and black leather pants, with tall boots that reached his knees. Shining silver hair cascaded over his gleaming shoulder armor to the small of his back. And one, solitary magnificent black wing sprouted from one of his shoulder blades.

This man, much to her relief, was what was keeping Teo from slaughtering her. With his back turned to her, she couldn't grasp much more of the situation. She could see that his black-gloved hand was closed around her father's throat. Which did not go over well with the Dragoon in question. He struggled violently against the man's grip, which only tightened in response. "_Release me, **boy**_," he spat.

"The dead should not meddle in the affairs of the living." The voice that came from the man was smooth and as cold as ice.

_"You can't possibly understand."_

"It is _you_ who does not understand. In this land the dead are to stay dead and nothing more. Learn your place, vermin." With a flick of his wrist the man dismissed the undead youkai, merely tossing him backwards into the river of souls. Teo didn't return to the shore. He then must've noticed that JT had been watching him, for he stiffened slightly before facing her.

He had to have been the most _gorgeous _man she'd ever seen. His leather trench coat was parted over his bare chest, revealing the criss-crossed straps, which were apparently fastened to his shoulder armor, and a belt with an ankh on it around his waist. Two long silver bangs fell precariously into his handsome features, although they could not hide the man's piercing feral jade eyes.

Slowly the man knelt at her feet, running a critical eye over her. His gaze halted at her twisted ankle for a moment, determining the seriousness of the injury. Then apparently satisfied that no immense damage had been done, the man finally met her eyes. Jade clashed with ice.

And for the first time in years, JT was rendered speechless. This both intrigued and frustrated her. She could only remember a handful of times that a man – or anyone for that matter – had that affect on her. He had merely _looked_ at her. But who was he? More importantly, why had he saved her? As she studied him, the warrior began to realize that something about him… reminded of her of someone. She couldn't put her finger on whom, or even what about this man made her think of someone.

The soft, icy tones that came from her savior snapped her out of her trance. Upon seeing his expectant stare, JT realized he had said something. "Hmm?"

A silver brow rose and pale lips quirked into a faint smirk. He was mocking her.

…Jerk.

"I said, one should not be so careless in a place like this. The Underworld is no place for a woman," he said, the smirk never leaving his face.

Correction: _ASS._

She shot the silver-haired man her fiercest glare, which only fueled his cocky persona. He rose from his kneeling position, gave her one last smirk – which only added to her growing dislike of the man – and began to stroll off in random direction. "Next time there might not be anyone to save you."

And so, he left her. Still sitting there on the rocky floor, with an ankle that pained her – though slightly less now…

And ready to rip the man's head clean off his shoulders.

She took a few moments to calm herself down. '_Who was he?' _

--------------------------------------------

Hallow Bastion had turned out to be an interesting place. JH had to agree with that as she walked along the village streets. It had been a full two weeks since she had regained consciousness, which made it about three weeks since Makai's destruction. Thanks to Aerith's strange healing powers and the fast recovery rate that all youkai shared, she was able to be up and about much sooner than expected.

Funny thing about Aerith though, she as a Cetra. JH had no idea that Cetra lived on other Planets as well. Also, Aerith wasn't at all like what the soldier and elders described them as. Aerith was kind and sweet. Quite the opposite of what she had been taught.

Yuffie, contrary to her first beliefs, was not as annoying as she seemed. The young girl was a ninja-in-training, and was set on becoming "The Greatest Female Ninja" to quote the child herself. She reminded JH of herself in many ways. She was curious and determined to prove herself, no matter what anyone said.

Shera, the rather timid mechanic, could be trusted with just about anything. Shera was sweet and caring, and JH couldn't help but feel attached to her. She had been kind enough to offer JH a home with her and her partner at the shop, Cid Highwind.

JH simply _adored_ Cid. The man was like the father she'd never had. Cid Highwind was a famous ex-pilot who now worked in the castle mechanics lab. He was a mechanical genius. Nothing was too hard for Cid. He'd just adjust his flight goggles, light up a cigarette, and – with a few muttered profanities – would set to work, no questions asked. Cid had three trademarks: his goggles, his smoking, and his language. JH had made a bit of a game to see how many curses the pilot could fit in one sentence. So far the record was ten. He was rough around the edges, but all-in-all, he was just a big softie.

The next person she had met was a boy by the name of Cloud Strife. A bit on the silent side, JH didn't know much about him. But he was Aerith's boyfriend, and that was enough for her. You could easily spot him in a crowd, for his hair made him stand out from everyone else. Cloud's blonde hair was spiked up in random directions, and rather reminded her of the large yellow birds called chocobos that ran wild on Hallow Bastion. She'd often wondered what he used to get his hair to stick up like that. Or was it naturally that way… hm. Anyway, Cloud was a person of great importance on the Planet, for he had saved it from a 'fuckin' psycho' as Cid put it, by the name of Sephiroth. Now he was in a group known as SOLDIER, one of the King's bodyguards.

And then, there was Squall Leonhart. The loner. Squall was by far her favorite of the group. Every moment available was spent with the brown-haired, blue-eyed teen, whether he liked it or not. Squall had become a surrogate brother to her. His brooding attitude reminded JH of _her_. She guessed that was why she liked him so much. Unfortunately though, much of his day was spent at a place called Garden where Squall stayed as a SeeD. SeeDs, which she had learned from Shera, were people who were sent in to resolve conflicts or concerns in lands across the sea. Kind of like peacekeepers. Except SeeDs were trained to battle, not negotiate. Squall was already sporting a scar that began a little above his right eye, and ended just below his left.

But no matter how trustworthy they were, and though they're persistent questions, mostly on Yuffie's behalf, she could not bring herself to tell them about Makai. Nor JT. To tell them such things would be admitting that it was over. That Makai, her home, was gone. That her own sister had betrayed her. That she'd never be able to go back. No, what was best, she decided, was to continue living in this world as if it had always been her home, and she'd never had a _sister._

A sister that JH wished was there to assure her at the moment.

--------------------------------------------

"So, Kiddo, what'll it be?" the speedy voice annoyed her to no end. "Do ya' wanna start in this tournament? I could get ya' some real good weapons and-"

"Iie."

The previously wildly gesturing hands froze, mid swing. "What was that?"

"Iie." The singly syllable passed her lips with as much defiance as she could muster. Damn her pride. "I will not be apart of your twisted games, Hades."

He laughed. That caught her off guard. She had expected him to rage, to attack her, anything other than that.

"Ya' see, dollface," he said lowly. She did not like that tone. "Whether you agree to it or not, you _will_ follow my orders. She's all yours, sweets!"

For a moment JT wondered, _"She who?"_

There was a low sound behind her. A terrifying cross between a hiss and a laugh. Damnit why didn't she notice this before? As the raven-haired hanyou whirled around her to meet her opponent, her pale eyes widened.

Before her was a horrifying creature that had the torso of a woman, but where her arms should've been were long tentacles. Her lower body was that of a snake's. One fleshy and mangled wing sprouted from her shoulder blade. A metal visor obscured her eyes, and long sliver-ish hair flowed around her.

JT had only seconds to see the sharp tentacle lunging at her, and then all went black.

**End Chapter 2.**

JT: Finally. Well the story continues ne?

Kazu: You totally procrastinated this chapter.

JT: -sigh- I know. I really need to fix that problem… but regretfully, I'm going to take some time to revise and finish my YYH fic, cuz' it only has a few chapters to go. Just a warning. Hopefully it shouldn't take too long. R/R


	5. Chapter 3: One Winged Encounter

**Disclaimer:** And now, a special announcement from my lesser known aneki Hikari:

Hikari: -ahem- This chapter is brought to you courtesy of Otaku Multiple Personalities United (OMPU), who have risen to your cries and got JT's rear in gear because she was taking too long to update. OMPU does _not_ own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy 7/8, or any other major game/movie. Please enjoy.

JT: Err…. Arigatou.

**Rating:** PG-13 for language, violence, gore, and future romance. (Hikari: Never thought I'd see the day…)

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Romance

**Summary:** Her planet was the first to go. And she was killed in the process. Now she must become a guardian to the only one who can save them to redeem herself. (My take on who the "All-knowing voice" is.)

**AN:** JT: Kami-sama it's been a while. I offer you no excuse, nor will I beg for your forgiveness. Flame me if you wish. Kami-sama knows I deserve it.

Kazu: Che, no kiddin'.

JT: Do as you wish. -shrugs- I've probably lost most of my reviewers by now anyway.

_Review Corner:_

**Ashley Phoenix: **Yes well, I'm not going to post my next fanfic until I finish this one, but GOK is by far the best fanfic I've written as of yet.

**darkreality11: **Arigatou for the compliment. Sorry it took so long.

**Rurouni Saiyan:** -laughs- Are you on the edge of your seat yet?

--------------------------------------------

**.:Guardian of Keys:.**

_Chapter 3: One-Winged Encounter_

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**ONE YEAR LATER… **

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She'd told them.

She just couldn't stand it anymore. The pretending; acting like that fateful day over a year ago had never happened. She was surprised she'd lasted this long, but now it was too much.

She'd turned fifteen yesterday. They'd thrown a party for her and everyone came, even Cloud and Squall took time off to come. After that day, it would be a while before they'd all be together again. It was now or never.

So, collecting her courage, the teen sat them down, all six of them, and told the gruesome tale of her world's destruction, and her sister's betrayal. Surprisingly, no one had said a word during the whole thing, aside from the few curses from Cid during some of the particularly horrifying parts.

Now that the tale was finished, they all sat there, staring. Either at her or the floor. Each one of them had a look of sympathy in their eyes…

They pitied her. But, hadn't they from the beginning? Wasn't pity the reason Shera had let her live with her? Why Aerith and Yuffie treated her so kindly? The reason both Cloud and Squall tolerated her? Funny how something like pity could bring so many good things…

'_JT always hated to be pitied.'_

…heh, strange. Now that she had confessed the truth, JH could actually say her sister's name without wanting to crawl under a rock and die.

Strange how life works.

An awkward silence filled Cid and Shera's house. Her pale eyes began to burn as they filled with tears. A thick lump formed in her throat. None of them would even _look_ at her. Did they hate her now? Were they so ashamed of her past that they couldn't stand the sight of her?

Squall was the first to prove otherwise, much to everyone's shock. He strode his way across the room to his surrogate sister. He placed a black-gloved had on her shoulder. That was all it took. The silver-haired teen flung towards him, buried her face in his white T-shirt, and cried every last tear she'd held back over the past year.

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Pain. Searing, white-hot, mind-blowing pain.

Of course, by now feeling pain was a regular occurrence. She was used to it. Not that it lessened any – hell, it seemed to become worse with each passing day – but it was something she'd come to expect.

That never kept her from screaming herself hoarse. Even if her voice was shot from the previous day. How long had been, since this had begun? A month? A year? Five years? Eternity? She'd lost all concept of time.

Another dry scream was ripped from her raw throat as another wave of crackling electricity erupted throughout her body. This time the heart-wrenching sound was accompanied by her own blood. She watched with glazed eyes as the life-giving substance spattered across the grey marble floor. The next shockwave sent blood from her scabbed wrists when she instinctively pulled against her restraints.

"Well, any progress?" Ah, a familiar voice. When it had all started, she could vaguely remember that voice saying, "You've brought this on yourself, baby doll, only you." But with each passing day the High-and-Mighty Lord of the Dead grew more agitated. Soon he had stopped "greeting" her at all, and only asked of her "progress", whatever that was.

"She is amazingly resistant to the treatment of Jenova cells," said a soft voice. Yet another she had grown used to. The voice of the vile beast called Jenova, the one who had put her here in the first place. "Even after a full year she has shown next to no progress of any kind." Only a year? She'd been through the eighth hell and back, and it had only been a year?!

"This' gone on longer than expected," Hades groaned, "Leave the machine on full blast. Maybe if we're lucky the damn thing'll kill her for us." Full blast? Oh Kami-sama…

"Hai." There were echoing footsteps, and then silence.

'_Come back… someone… KAMI-SAMA MAKE THE PAIN STOP!'_

The only thing left were her screams.

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So Jenova was trying to create a new pet was she? A disgusted frown crept onto his features. The bitch didn't know when to quit. What was this, the third, fourth time she tried to create her next "child"? He couldn't let that happen. It looked like he'd have to crash the party again.

The man watched as the God of Death and the Calamity of the Skies left the "palace". Both seemed irritated. Was their pet not cooperating? It was certainly possible. The minute they were out of sight, he made his way into the building, stealthily leaping onto the balcony and creeping down the darkened corridor. It never ceased to amaze him how few defenses there were. The most he'd had to deal with in the past was the two little imps that often followed Hades. Today however, not even they were there to "greet" him.

What the hell was going on?

The man crept along the shadowy corridors of the fortress. The deeper he went, the more puzzled he became. Not a soul passed him nor challenged him. Not that he was complaining, it made his job all the more easier. He paused as the sounds of obvious torture reached his sensitive ears.

The hoarse screams tugged at his very soul. They sent a disturbing shudder down his spine. The poor creature, he actually felt some unconscious level of pity for it. He knew what that torture was like. He should do it a favor and put it out of his misery.

The screams became louder as he approached the center of the compound. He eventually stopped before a two large doors of bones. The deafening sounds were loudest there. Whatever sick experiment the two had created was behind those doors.

As the doors slid open of their own accord, the screams intensified. His breath caught in his throat at the sight before him. The specimen had been chained to the wall of the room, hung on the wall only by the shackles at its wrists. The figure was covered head to toe in what was undoubtedly its own blood, as the wires and tubes attached to its body sent Jenova cells into its bloodstream. Every dry and cracked scream that left the creature's mouth brought more blood from its throat. The mere sight of it made even his stomach turn.

He blanched. They were truly sick.

He drew the long sword at his waist, preparing to silence the tortured creature. He raised the blade to its throat. It was at that moment the creature reared back its head to let loose a haunting scream that he was sure that the living world could hear. He froze, the silver blade slowly left the creature's neck. Holy…

It was _her_.

Her midnight tresses were completely free of its ponytail, and hung limply into her face, matted with blood. Through her dark hair and the blood that covered her face, he could see twin ice-colored eyes staring out at him, unseeing and glazed in her pain. What was left of her clothes was bloodstained, and nearly unrecognizable. So _this_ was Jenova's experiment.

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Someone was there. Through her ungodly amount of pain she could still hear the large doors of bone open. Maybe Hades had sent someone to put her out of her misery. It was either that or some guard had come to watch her die slowly. She hoped it was the former. Anything was better than this. Footsteps echoed along with her screams on the stone walls, nearing her. She vaguely felt the cool steel of a blade against her throat. Yes… Kami-sama just let her die now. Another terrible shock swept through her body and another scream wrenched free from her lips. She felt the blade move slightly, and then leave her skin. '_NO! Just let me die!'_

What she got was something totally unexpected. There was a bit of shuffling around, and then the searing pain abruptly stopped its agonizing assault. She fell limp against her restraints. Whatever had been the cause of her pain, pumping Jenova cells into her body, had been shut off. The only thing preventing her from hitting the floor at that very instant were the chains tied around her wrists. Her body trembled and jumped with the aftershock of her seemingly eternal pain. It just couldn't get used to the feeling of not being in pain anymore.

The broken warrior flinched as a strong arm wrapped around her waist. In the next moment her arms were free, releasing her from her prison. Unable to support her own weight, she stumbled forward, colliding with something warm. The arm around her waist tightened its hold in order to support her. She'd run into someone. But who? Who would break in and save her life? At this point she wanted nothing more than to run. She wanted to push the arm around her waist away and run as fast as her legs could carry her. But her body wouldn't respond to any command she sent it. She could feel her consciousness leaving her fast.

She felt… safe. A feeling that she had almost forgot she knew. Her savior's arm was gently holding her to its strong figure. A second arm hooked under her knees, lifting her off the ground.

The only part of her savior's face she remembered was their feral jade eyes.

--------------------------------------------

Bordering the line between waking and slumber brought a strange sort of comfort to her. It was then that the pain of the day faded into a dull ache, and her body was able to strengthen itself for the next day. By now it had become a bit of a habit. As she slowly regained consciousness, she knew something was not right with her surroundings.

No longer was she sprawled out painfully on the hard floor of her cell, as she had been for the past year. Instead she was laid out comfortably on a soft material, most likely furs of some kind. There was another fur wrapped loosely around her lithe frame. She reveled in the feeling of lying on something _other_ than a cold stone floor, turning onto her side – though wincing as her body protested – and burying herself deeper into the blankets.

There was a deep chuckle. "So you're finally awake." Pale eyes shot open, and she hissed as the light of a small fire sent invisible daggers into her brain. She waited for her eyes to accustom themselves to the light to see the man who had rescued her. Not once, but twice.

And there he was. He sat on the other side of the fire, its red light reflecting off his silver hair. His arms were crossed over his bare chest, his armor, coat, and gloves were discarded and lying on the stone floor in a neat pile. Near it was a small red and black bundle of cloth. A soft metallic glint come from somewhere inside the bundle. Upon closer inspection she found it to be… her clawed glove…?! A bright blush spread across her face. '_He didn't.'_

An ungloved and bandaged hand reached for her torso. There she found the soft material of a thin shirt, though she knew it was not her own. _'He did.'_

A low chuckle told her that he had noticed her distress. The blush deepened. "You're clothes were beyond repair when I found you," he said as if it would explain everything.

It was lonely met with silence. The same mocking smirk she'd seen one year ago touched his face. The silver-haired man shifted, moving around the fire to sit close to where she lay. JT buried herself deeper into the furs. She glowered up at him, silently daring him to come any closer. And he mockingly returned the gesture. Even after a year he was still an ass, big surprise there.

Finally, she spoke. "Who are you?" Her voice was dry and hoarse from an entire year of misuse.

"That isn't your concern." Geez, and they called her cold.

She cleared her throat. "I deserve to know the name of someone who has saved me twice," she replied, her voice sounding slightly less ragged now.

He nodded thoughtfully. "Fair enough. My name is Sephiroth, formal general of SOLDIER – Hallow Bastion. And you are?"

"Jigoku Tenshi, top-ranking soldier of the youkai army – Makai."

"Well, that's something we common… all right, _Tenshi-chan_," Sephiroth snickered at the expression of utter indignation on her face, "why did you ever go into Hades' fortress in the first place?"

"Its not as if I had a choice," she muttered hoarsely. "Why were _you_ there?"

"I make it my duty to stop anything Jenova has planned. She and Hades are trying to use their… abilities… to overthrow the Gods-"

"And basically turn the universe into an all out Hell?"

He nodded.

"So desu." (I see.)

"Aa, they first plan on creating slaves to do their biding by injecting them with Jenova cells."

JT leaned back on one elbow. "Which is what they tried to do to me, isn't it?"

Again he nodded. "That's right."

"Then why didn't it work? I was in there for an entire year!"

Sephiroth rested his chin on the back of his hand. "I don't know." Once again silence filled the cave. And all the while, JT found herself watching her silver-haired savior. His eyes were closed in deep thought, his chin resting on his hand. The red light of the fire made his features stand out, and it glimmered on his long hair, which fell unceremoniously across his bare chest. She had to fight the urge to blush at this. Sure, she had been – and to some extent, still was – a soldier, but damnit she was still a _woman_ for crying out loud! And besides, she had never had the "blessing" of meeting a soldier as utterly gorgeous as he was.

Something clicked in her mind. Well… that wasn't _entirely_ true. '_So that was who he reminded me of._' She let herself fall back onto the furs. '_Has it really been that long ago?'_ she thought, tucking her hands behind her head. _'Jisan…'_ (Uncle…)

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_**FLASHBACK **_

--------------------------------------------

The cries of the wounded filled the air as the Cetra fort slowly burned to the ground. The forces under the command of Jigoku Teo had struck again. Any Cetra found was not left alive.

The once beautiful grassy field had been turned into a sea of blood and rot, bodies of both Cetra and youkai littering the ground. Arrows, swords, and weapons of all kinds were strewn across the grass, their wielders having been long dead. A single teenage girl stumbled through this sea of death, unaffected by the hoards of wounded and dead. She was covered in blood, and bruises and scratches covered her from head to foot, sometimes giving way to deep gashes. Long black hair hung into her face, icy-eyes heavily lidded from pain and exhaustion.

Though she was absolutely elated at her latest accomplishment, a great part of her was still in shock. She had just slain her own father. Jigoku Teo was dead.

And it was because of _him_ that she had done it. _He _had supported and encouraged her every step of the way, even though they were on different sides. _He_ didn't care. _He_ was like the father she _wished_ she had.

Something caught her foot – a dead body, she figured – and she was sent tumbling onto the bloodied soil. There she lay, too weak to pull herself up again. She knew that she _had_ to stand. The longer she stayed there on the ground, the higher the chances were that a wandering Cetra would come by and take it upon themselves to slay her. But as hard as she tried, she had not the strength to even move an inch.

The sound of heavy footfalls reached her ears all too late. They walked unwavering past the hundreds of fallen soldiers. A soft splash about a foot from her head alerted her of the being's presence. The footsteps stopped there. Whether it was youkai or Cetra, she figured she was pretty much dead.

As she felt the being kneel next to her, all motor functions – and she swore even her heart – ceased. That was it, she was dead. A hand descended upon her raven-haired head, long fingers weaving gently between the strands. She flinched.

"It is good to see that you're still alive, watashi no chibi Tenshi," (my little Angel,) a soft, deep voice murmured to her. Her eyes snapped open of their own accord. Only one person…

She was suddenly rolled over as said person placed an arm under her neck and shoulders. She found herself staring into the kindly face of a young man in Cetra armor. His short, cropped black hair was the exact same shade as her own, and fell haphazardly onto his brow. His violet eyes smiled down at her, concern and worry leaking in, turning his eyes a dark indigo. His lips were drawn into a soft smile.

"Ojisan…" she choked, her throat too dry to speak properly.

"Shh…" he cooed. "Rest, watashi no chibi Tenshi, just let old Oshu take care of this, ne?"

She lost consciousness.

--------------------------------------------

_**END FLASHBACK **_

--------------------------------------------

A small smile crept onto her face at them memory of her beloved uncle. Her first real smile in over a year. Oshu, her mother's brother. Ironically enough he was only a few years older than she was. After he met JT by chance during the war, Oshu took it upon himself to watch over her as best he could. However, the day JT had killed her father was the last time she had seen him. The girl had awoken some days later at Kazu's temple. A cease-fire had been established while she slept.

JT idly wondered what had become of Oshu. The greatest possibility was that those creatures… what had Jenova called them? Ah, that's right, the Heartless, had devoured him along with the others.

Back to the matter at hand, JT realized just how much he and Sephiroth were alike. Both, either by coincidence or fate had saved her life more than once. Both held a feeling of silent strength, though Sephiroth's strength was much more obvious than her uncle's. Both – though she hated to admit it on both accounts – were incredibly handsome. And both men had sickeningly sweet – though it was more of a taunt in Sephiroth's case – versions of her first name, whether it be "chibi Tenshi" or "Tenshi-chan", both nicknames made her nose wrinkle in annoyance.

"You may not last much longer," Sephiroth spoke suddenly, making JT twist around and stare at him quizzically. "It was Hades who brought you to life. Now that you are useless to him, he will most likely revoke his 'gift'."

She visibly deflated. "I figured that much. If you knew this, then why did you save me in the first place?"

Sephiroth looked incredulous for a moment, and then smirked. "You have your uses. There is much I'd like to know about Jenova's plan."

For some reason, that hurt worse than an entire year of torture. There went her pride.

--------------------------------------------

Grief-stricken faces stared down at JH as she lay there. She had narrowly evaded death once, but a second time was not a luxury she had. The young ninja Yuffie was hiding her face in Aerith's long skirt. Aerith herself had silent tears running down her cheeks, and she constantly twisted the silver bangle JH had given her. Cloud stood by his girlfriend, an arm around her waist as he looked sadly down at his young friend. Shera was crying into Cid's shoulder. Like Cloud, Cid too was staring sorrowfully down at her as he wrapped his arms around Shera's thin frame. But no one took it harder than Squall.

Unlike many of them, Squall did not cry. In truth, he was making a hell of a point _not_ to cry. JH could see, even with her darkening vision, that he was losing that battle.

In the few weeks after JH had told her story, both she and Squall had grown closer. He finally allowed her to call him "Onii-san" and often referred to her as "Imouto-chan". Though, it wasn't as if she had never called him that before, but the fact that he accepted it meant a lot to the teen.

JH had been awakened around midnight to the sounds of fire and screams. And that's when the nightmare began all over again. Different world, different people; same scene. The shadows, or Heartless as she had found out, were back. And this time she couldn't just walk away with a half healed gash across her chest. During their escape a collapsing building had caught her. The heavy stones had crushed her ribs, and she had a feeling that one or two of them had been driven into her lungs. The strange draining sensation in the back of her head told her she must have a deep cut there as well. In her opinion, having a sword nearly kill you was better. At least she was unconscious, and didn't feel the pain.

Her vision focused once more, Squall was kneeling over her. "Hold on," he murmured, voice strained. "Just hang on, we'll-" She heard no more. JH could see him talking, but it was as if she had suddenly gone deaf. The haunting orchestra of screams had been silenced. Her vision became distorted and darkness leaked in at the corners.

She inhaled shakily, shocked at how cold and numb the action made her. She knew then: this was to be her last breath. The darkened edges of her vision grew tenfold. She tried to fight back the advancing blackness but it merely crushed her efforts like a worthless insect.

"G-Gomen nasai, Onii-san…" And the darkness took her.

--------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, not so far off in a darkened chamber, thirteen silent figures watched on as Hallow Bastion was taken by the Heartless. The air around them was thick with dread and fear. Not fear for themselves, no, but for those they had watched over since the dawn of time.

"Well Shidousha," a voice of the figure was male, "there goes the last of your precious children."

"It is sad," said another, a female this time.

"It is." The figure that had spoken stepped forward the light of the orb revealing that it was a woman. Sadness came off her in waves. Her pale hand reached out to lightly touch the sphere in which they had watched the whole ordeal. "It has begun."

A murmur went through the room, confirming their fears. "What shall we do, Shidousha?" one asked.

"You will return to your domains, and protect them from the Heartless. If you happen to fail, return here immediately! Kingdom Hearts shall _not_ be taken by these creatures!"

"Hmm… yes…" a calm voice said. "And what of the Keybearer?"

"By now the Keyblade has already been searching for the Chosen One."

"Should he not have a guide of some sort?" the voice was soft and innocent.

"He will, I shall tend to it personally. I have already chosen his guide."

"Surely you do not mean that… that_ woman_ do you?!" the voice was incredulous. "She has already been tainted by darkness! Surely you do not _trust_ her with such a noble task?!"

"I believe that she is the only one we _can_ trust with this task. And, not only that, but I have a feeling that she will need this journey more than she knows…"

**End Chapter 3.**

JT: Hmmm… well. That chapter was a bit morbid.

Kazu: You've been listening to Evanescence again, haven't you?

JT: Heh heh… hai.

Kazu: -sigh-


	6. Chapter 4: Awakening

**Not So Standard Disclaimer: **And now, on behalf of the OMPU, we bring you…-lesigh- Ryuukai.

Ryuukai: Hello! This is Ryuukai, filling in for the ass here. –points to JT-

JT: -growls- Disclaimer, Ryuu-iki.

Ryuukai: Right. Ahem. JT does not own Kingdom Hearts and/or any other reference to SquareEnix. Do not sue, she's poor.

**Rating:** PG-13 for language, violence, gore, and future romance…don't say a word Ryuu-iki. (Ryuukai: -snicker-)

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Romance

**Summary: **Her planet was the first to go. And she was killed in the process. Now she must become a guardian to the only one who can save them to redeem herself. (My take on who the "All-knowing voice" is.)

**AN: **YES! IT'S ABOUT TIME I GOT THIS FINISHED! For those of you who didn't know, I've been having computer problems, and this chapter got deleted…I had to retype ALL of it…

_Review Corner:_

**Rurouni Saiyan: **Eh, I've been planning on killing her off from the beginning…but…don't worry. -wink-

**Ashley Pheonix: **Heya! Keep reviewing ne?

**Jigoku Hime: **Songfics Imouto-chan…songfics…Kami-sama…why me?

**Jigoku Hikari:** -legasp- Both Imouto-chans reviewing?! Yikes! Hehehe…just kiddin' Hikari.

**darkreality11: **Morbid is good…hehehehehe…. -cough- Hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Kichigai:** …YOU! Oo I KNOW YOU! -poke- It's about time you reviewed…Oh, and Hikari will come in later.

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"_I've been having these weird thoughts lately._

_(Having…weird…real…or not?)_

_Like is any of this for real, or not?"_

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**.:Guardian of Keys:.**

Chapter 4: Awakening

--------------------------------------------

A total of three months was all it had taken for Hades to revoke his "gift". And even then, her death wasn't what you'd call terrible. She had merely woken up to find herself too weak to move. How long she had stayed alive after that was still a complete mystery to her. And true to his word, Sephiroth had stayed by her until her form flickered, and then vanished altogether. Over those three months, she and the former general had formed a highly strange bond. Oh don't get her wrong, she still thought he was an ass; and he still looked down upon her as an incompetent woman. There was a certain camaraderie between them by the end of the three months, but she supposed that after living that long with someone who was – for the most part – after the same thing you were, you'd be a bit more friendly too.

That had been nine years ago, from what she could tell. After her death, she had been transported to her current residence: a huge black void of nothingness. Hell she would've thought – no expected. Paradise may be not so much…but hey, it could happen. But _no_, she was stuck in limbo.

Someone up top must _really_ dislike her.

Well, it wasn't really that bad. If you got past the constant boredom and the fact that she was the only one there. Boredom was easily dealt with however. Early on she had found that she had a bit of power over this realm. She could create opponents to fight, and "friends" to talk to. What? She had to do _something_ to stay sane.

Today she figured she'd be doing the same old thing: drift, brood, fight illusions, etc. etc. How wrong she was.

The minute she awoke from her death-like slumber (no pun intended); she realized that something was different about the void. There was a heavy, urgent feeling in the…er, air. The entire space seemed to be crackling in anticipation. She traveled further than she had ever dared into the endless black in order to find some cause to it. But alas, she could not find a thing. She was about to turn back, too, when a soft, silvery voice spoke out to her.

"It is good to see that your heart has not yet been devoured by the dark, Jigoku Tenshi." A blinding white light erupted from behind her. The void itself – as well as JT – seemed to shrink away from the light. JT hissed in pain and covered her burning eyes against the light. When it finally dimmed, she turned slowly around, still squinting.

Before her, bathed in the ethereal light, was an exotic woman. Everything about her was pale, from her hair, to her eyes, her skin, and even her clothes were white and shimmered like gems. Her molten silver hair swayed about her, though there was no wind. The woman's eyes were almost the exact same shade as her hair, but strangely had no pupils. Her top was simply a piece of cloth wrapped around her chest, embroidered with small beads and silver trinkets. Around her waist was a long white skirt with a single slit up one side to increase mobility. The woman wore an _amazing_ amount of jewelry. Silver bangles and bracelets adorned her ankles and wrists, and long earrings dangled from her ears in a complicated series of hoops and chains. A single fine silver chain protruded from under her bangs to form a crude headdress, a beautiful emerald suspended from it. In places on her shoulders, ankles, and even on the side of her face were green markings. They were all the same. Three triangles, their tips pointing outwards.

"Who are you?" JT asked in amazement. "And what do you mean 'devoured by the dark'?"

The young woman tilted her head in a quizzical fashion and then gestured to the endless void around her. "This place is where all those tainted by the darkness come to return to whence it came. Ever since Hades' wicked experiments, you have been considered tainted, though the strength of your heart says otherwise." A smile suddenly lit her face. "As for who I am, I suppose that a decade is a long time for mortals." JT did not answer. This woman did not look in any way familiar to her, though she could've she'd heard her voice somewhere before.

The woman took her silence as a negative, and continued. "Tell me, Jigoku-san. Do you know what lies at the very core of each and every Planet?" Again, she received a negative. "Like all living thing in this universe, at the core of a Planet is a heart. Over time, that heart can be tainted by darkness, much like anyone else's, and the Planet's soul is forever lost."

"Are you the soul of a tainted Planet, then?" JT asked.

"Hmmm… well that depends on what you're asking. I am indeed a spirit of a fallen Planet, but iie, I am not tainted."

Something clicked in her mind, and the fallen hanyou breathed in sharply. "You…you are Makai aren't you?"

The spirit smiled sadly. "Hai…I am."

"But… I saw the Heartless enter the Keyhole! How-"

"Just because a world has been captured by the Heartless does not mean that it is lost forever." She lifted her pointer finger to the side of her face, her elbow cradled in her other palm. "On the contrary, Makai is the safest place for we Planet spirits. You see, young hanyou, at the very core of Makai is a door. This door leads to a fortress – a safe haven if you will – where all the spirits of Planets meet. This place of the Planets' collective hearts has come to be known as Kingdom Hearts. And as it is in Makai, I have been appointed its guardian and therefore its leader. You may call me Shidousha.

"Now, it is also here that souls are made. Every soul – of plants, animals, intellectual beings, the souls of Planets, and even Heartless – are made there. For the past millennia or so, the Heartless have been no trouble for us. But recently they have become more violent, and have in found their way into the mortal world."

The raven-haired warrior was speechless for a moment. "And… what does this have to do with me?"

Shidousha grinned disarmingly at her. "The other Great Spirits and I have been talking. In the nine years since Makai's fall, the Heartless have been spreading rapidly throughout the universe. We have lost many of our ranks to them. Some of them have been lost to this great void forever. Now, have you heard the legend of the Keyblade?"

"Aa, it's some kind of myth. The one chosen by the Keyblade is to deliver the universe from the clutches of darkness. It was a bedtime story used to satisfy children. But since the Keyholes are real, I suppose you're going to tell me that the Keyblade is as well?"

The spirit nodded. "It _is_ real. At this very moment it is searching for the Chosen One. But we need someone to guide him, to make sure that he does not stray from the path," suddenly her tone became very grave, "and to make _sure_ that he seals the Door of Kingdom Hearts in time. If the doors open, all of the Heartless will be released upon the mortal world, and no one will be safe, spirit or no. That's why we need you."

Said hanyou looked Shidousha straight in the eye. "_Me?_"

She nodded.

"Why me?"

"Because, Jigoku-san, I believe you are the only one who can. You are the link between the two Great Races. Your heart is strong, and no one knows the darkness like you do."

JT brought a hand to her chin, pretending to think about it for a moment. "Hn, so my choices are: stay in this hellhole while the universe caves in around my ears, or help some 'Chosen One' defeat the Heartless… what's in it for me?"

Shidousha's eyes became sad. This… wasn't the JT she had watched over. The JT who, when the time called for it, would unquestioningly follow the greater good without a thought of personal gain, who fought for honor and those close to her, who was brooding yet open to those she could trust.

No, _this_ JT was no so. Her mind was closed, even to Shidousha, her spirit encased in an aura of ice. This JT was thinking only for herself. Had this place changed her that much? "Your life," she answered at length, "Once the Heartless are vanquished, all worlds – and the people who lived there – will be restored." Then Shidousha's expression flickered for a moment. She turned and held out a pale hand. A swirling mass of light appeared at her fingertips. "I must leave you now. Head towards the light when you see it. That is where you will train the Keyblade Master."

'_What?! When did I agree to this?!' _JT thought, exasperated, '_And I have to **train** him too?! Why should **I** have to do this?!'_

"Wait!" the hanyou called as she saw the spirit leaving. "You are the spirit of Makai, can't you find anyone else to do you dirty work?"

Shidousha glanced back over her shoulder, but strangely did not meet her eyes. "I cannot. Ganbatte (Good luck) Jigoku-san." And she vanished into the light. JT stared blankly at the space where the spirit had disappeared. What was that all about?

She pulled her legs up to "sit" cross-legged, her arms folded over her chest. A deep frown spread across her face. She had never asked for this. Why should she help them? JT was quite content – thank you very much – to spend eternity in limbo. It was helping some stranger "save the universe".

A light suddenly appeared in the distance, pushing the treacherous thoughts away. In it was the silhouette of a person, drifting down from what seemed like an invisible ceiling. The "Keyblade Master" had arrived. She fought with herself for a moment, deciding whether or not she should take on her "job" or not.

Something akin to curiosity pushed to do the former.

JT reluctantly flew towards the light in order to catch a glimpse of the so-called "Keyblade Master". She couldn't help but snort indignantly at the sight before her. He was no more than a child! He had soft brown locks that stuck up in all directions, though it looked natural. His sapphire eyes were half-lidded in an unreadable emotion. He wore the strangest clothes. Deep red pants and shirt, the pants billowing outward at the knees. He wore a black jacket with a grey hood. Around his neck and hooked to his waist were chains with small crowns on them. His shoes were the strangest part. They were bright yellow and at least four sizes to big.

But…how could anyone expect a mere child to save the universe? Then again…she did suppose that was the reason that a bodyguard was chosen. So she had to train him too huh?

She waved her gold-clawed hand, and a grey platform appeared below them. Strange, JT idly wondered of the condition of the void today. The things she summoned were never so…plain. The boy righted himself, finally coming out of his trance. The minute his foot touched the platform, hundreds of grey doves flew into the air revealing a beautiful stained glass structure. Ah yes, that was more like it. JT had found that even though she did have some power over the void, the fine details of inanimate objects were left to the void itself. They were always the same too, the beautifully dark gothic style of old.

JT flew lower, hovering about six feet off the ground. Now that the boy was fully awake, she could see his innocent and overall curious attitude. An innocent little boy was supposed to save the universe…what were they thinking…?

She mentally chided herself. It was really none of her business. She was chosen to train and guide this brat (AN: Small note, I'm a rabid Sora fan, he's such a sweetie . So don't take that literally.) and damnit, that's what she was going to do! Now…where to start…

She sighed. "Ugh…so much to do…so little time." Below her, the boy looked up startled. His sapphire eyes darted about in her general direction, though he was off by about three feet to her left. Ah, that's right. Living beings could not see the supernatural. She found herself smothering a smirk at the childish fear glittering in the boy's eyes. This could be interesting. "Take your time. Don't be afraid," her voice was softer, but it still held a tone of dark amusement. "The door is still shut."

The warrior flew directly above the center of the platform, a beam of light falling on her position. The boy stared at the light, his expression quizzical and a bit distrusting. JT sighed in frustration and gave him a small mental nudge. He still did not move. Well, in any case, the boy needed a weapon first. She supposed he could choose which he wanted, and she'd go from there. Nodding to herself, JT said, "Now, step forward. Can you do it?"

With another mental nudge the boy finally stumbled into the light. A wave of her hand, and three pedestals were summoned from the void. "Power sleeps within you. If you give it form… it will give you strength."

--------------------------------------------

"Choose well."

He studied the three weapons in before him. Directly in front of him was a magnificent silver sword with a gold hilt, a red jewel with three circles embedded in it. To his right was a sapphire staff, with beautiful blue gems on the ends. Its headpiece was a much larger version of the symbol on the sword's hilt, a large sphere with two smaller spheres attached to the top of it. To his left, a small red and black shield outlined in gold, and that same symbol.

Where was that voice coming from? It was a bit distorted, distant, and genderless. And what did it mean, "choose well"? Furthermore, where was he? Why was he here? Was it a dream? He couldn't remember falling asleep…but this was too weird to be real. His trademark grin flashed across his face. '_Dream or not, I'll never know by just standing here!_'

He ran over to the sword first – as it was his preferred weapon – and jumped onto the pedestal. He picked up the weapon in his gloved hands, finding it amazingly light for something as a blade. Now that he had gotten a closer look at the weapon, he could make out a miniscule inscription on the blade. **Light within Darkness. Love within Hate. Courage within Truth. **Huh, wonder what that meant. "Ah, the power of the warrior." He glanced up from the blade. There was that voice again, this time it almost sounded as if the speaker was standing next to him. He knew that to be false, however. Not once since entering this place had he seen anyone. "Invincible courage," the voice continued, smooth, soft and the tone strangely approving of his choice, but it had an underlining of something… something dark, icy, even spiteful. It was something that – dare he say it – struck a frightful cord in his heart, and sent an icy shiver down his spine. "A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?"

Hmm…he nodded softly, not looking up from the blade. Yes, a weapon of destruction it may be, but when used in the right hands, it could bring about great good. Wait…sapphire eyes widened.

…What was _that?_

Something had _flickered_ in the blade's surface. It… it looked like a _person_ standing right behind him! On closer inspection of the reflection, he could see a hazy, dim form of some kind…

He jumped as the blade vanished in a flash of blinding light. "Your path is set. Now what will you give up in exchange?"

The boy slowly stepped down from the pedestal. A sacrifice…? He looked between the staff and the shield. Now which one…? He walked up to the staff and carefully lifted it from the pedestal. "The power of the mystic," the voice said as his fingers came in contact with it, "Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. You give up this power?"

He felt that inner strength was something he already had, and as for great magical power, he felt it was something he didn't need. "Yes," he said – more to himself – nodding again. Like the sword, the staff disappeared in a flash of light.

"You've chosen the power of the warrior. You've given up the power of the mystic. Is this the form you choose?"

"Of course." And then there was silence. Not even a sign that the speaker had heard him. There was a loud crack, like the shattering of glass. He spun around. The floor was being ripped apart beneath him! It came upon him before he could take a single step, and within seconds he found himself falling through the great abyss.

As he fell, he noticed how the broken shards of glass melted into the darkness as if it were never there in the first place. His decent slowed considerably. Out of the darkness below him came the bright form of another stained glass platform. From this height he could clearly see it. It was a mixture of blues and purples, and depicted a pretty young woman in a blue ball gown. He righted himself, and prepared to land.

--------------------------------------------

She flew in closer as the boy slowly landed on the newly summoned platform. JT watched as the boy curiously took in his surroundings. Now was where the real fun began: it was time to see just what the boy could do.

JT cupped her hands together, and a small white light appeared between them. The light slowly lifted from the sanctity of her gloved hands, shimmering like a small diamond. It drifted through the space and buried itself unnoticed in the boy's right hand. He jumped as his chosen sword suddenly materialized in his grip.

"You've gained the power to fight," she said as the strange boy swung the blade experimentally. He looked down at the blade for a moment, getting his grip, and suddenly gave a mighty swing. The hanyou couldn't keep herself from smirking. The boy knew swordsmanship. It was apparent in the way he slashed at the air. This should make things more interesting. "All right! You've got it."

He grinned proudly. '_Oh don't get so cocky yet, gaki (brat). We've got a long way to go.'_

"Use this power to protect yourself and others." She opened her mouth to continue, but stopped abruptly. She could _feel_ something worming its way into her illusion. She threw up all mental barrier in order to keep it isolated, but whatever was there broke through her barriers as if it were nothing! She watched, apprehensive, as a group of black shapes scurried across the platform. They surrounded the boy. The strange shadow-like creatures lifted from the floor. Their ant-like forms sent fear running through her every nerve.

_Heartless._

'_Why are they here?'_ With a kick, JT flew at them, hoping to redouble her efforts at banishing the creatures. She found herself, instead, going straight through them. The Heartless didn't even flinch. She mentally cursed herself. How could she keep forgetting that she was no more than a spirit to physical beings?!

Behind her, the boy was studying the Heartless warily, with confusion apparent in his expression. And that worried her. Did he not know what they were? What they could _do_ to him? "Listen to me," she told him hastily, though not sure he had heard her. "There will be times when you have to fight. Keep your light burning strong." He must have heard her, and understood her, for the earthen-haired boy gripped the hilt of the sword tightly with both hands.

The ant-like shadows twitched their antenna, then without warning lunged at him. The boy ducked fearfully as the creatures swung their sharp claws at him. He gave a blind swing into the fray.

A Heartless shrieked as the blade sliced through its inky skin. It disappeared in a puff of smoke. The other Heartless stared unnervingly at him for a moment before melting back into the floor and disappearing altogether. _'Well, that was a lucky shot,'_ JT thought, _'But that still doesn't tell me how much the gaki actually knows.'_ She watched as her charge paced about the illusionary platform. At first glance he certainly didn't seem like much, but his limbs were lean and muscled from days of rigorous exercise, most likely from using a sword or hand-to-hand combat. There was definitely more to this boy than meets the eye.

JT realized he had stopped his pacing, and was now staring at a section of the stained glass floor. What it was however, she couldn't tell.

Then she saw it. The image of a Heartless scurried from beneath the boy's feet, unnoticed. It halted about three feet behind him. Silently it materialized onto the glass. The boy hadn't even noticed. With a nearly inaudible click of its claws the beast dove forward.

"Behind you!" At her cry, the boy was suddenly on alert. Again he tightly gripped the sword in his gloved hands. When the Heartless was within his reach, the boy turned with a vicious swing. It struck the shadow across its middle, sending it backwards against the glass. A small hiss left the creature as a black substance oozed from the cut in its torso. The ooze formed a puddle at the creature's feet. It kept growing and growing, seeming to devour the glass platform.

She could've sworn that if the Heartless had a mouth, it would've smirked. The pool of inky black swallowed the creature into its depths, but continued to expand outward. The boy tried to move away but he too was soon surrounded by the strange substance. He struggled to free himself, hands blindly reaching for some safety. The ooze merely seemed to drag him under faster.

JT took a deep – but unneeded – breath. She wasn't about to lose her charge to those monsters. With a burst of speed, the hanyou dove in after him.

--------------------------------------------

The darkness around him was suffocating, and cold…oh so cold. He couldn't breathe, and his limbs were numb and useless. How long he had been in the suffocating darkness did not matter, for every second seemed like eternity. He had forgotten which direction was up.

Every time he took in a gasp of air, he only suffocated himself more. _'I'm going to die here…'_ was the most prominent thought in his mind. He was becoming tired…so tired…his eyes began to close.

There was a soft sound somewhere above him.

A splash? Was that even possible?

He flinched slightly as overpowering warmth wrapped about him. Air rushed back into his lungs, causing him to cough violently. He looked up in his lightened world, and blinked his sapphire eyes.

Was it his imagination, or was there really the blurred outline of a woman drifting over him? No, it couldn't have been, he didn't imagine the woman reaching out to him with a glove with golden fingers.

He blinked, and it was over. No longer was he surrounded by the frightening darkness, but lying on yet another platform. He stood, and looked about. There was no woman, had he imagined it after all?

'_Wait, what's that?'_ He squinted. It was very faint, but he could swear that there was a door there. The youth crept cautiously up to the center of the platform. Yep, definitely a door. But what was a _door_ doing in the middle of nowhere like this? Was this the door the voice had mentioned? He reached out to touch it, and instead found he hand going straight through the transparent image. "I can't open it…" he murmured.

There was a soft pop and he saw a flash of light over his shoulder. He glanced over said shoulder. There was a chest near the edge of the platform, interesting. Maybe it had a key of some sort in it…

Nevertheless, the brown-haired boy left the translucent door. He paced up to the small red and gold chest. He opened it. '_That's weird,'_ he thought, _'There's nothing in here.'_

He jumped nearly a foot in the air as a loud crash broke the eerie stillness. The boy spun away from the opened chest to search for what had caused the noise. He didn't have to look very far. Earthen brows rose. There was a large crate in front of the door now.

He went over to investigate. The crate itself was ordinary enough, not counting the fact that it was taller than he was. Yellow stars were painted on all sides of the box. _'Hmm…'_ he thought, _'if I want to get through this door, I'd better move it.'_ He gave the crate a once over. It looked heavy. This wasn't going to be easy.

With a great huff the boy threw his weight onto the wooden crate…and nearly fell flat on his face as the huge box slid quite easily across the glass. He picked himself up, with an annoyed frown across his face. There was the strangest feeling in the back of his head…like someone was laughing at him… (AN: Come now…you'd laugh to if you saw that.)

Back to the matter at hand. He couldn't get over how easily he had moved the crate. Either he had somehow gained super strength – which he doubted – or this had to be a dream. He poked the box hard to relieve some frustration. (Kicking it – he decided – would not be the best thing to do, lest he go flying again.) And he was delighted to see that it had moved an entire inch. He jabbed it again.

Wait, did he just hear something rattle inside there? Another sharp jab proved this to be true.

"Hmm…" the boy glanced down at the sword resting carelessly in his hand. Why not? He could push the box easily with just a finger so… "HAH!"

The wood split with a single swing.

'_Hey, this is kinda fun!'_ The boy grinned, then squinted at the pile of wood. Now, where was it…? Let's see…wood, no. More wood, no. Hmm…nail, still no. Ahh! There it was! He picked up the small object that had been sticking out of the debris. A bottle…? Yes, a small blue bottle. The liquid inside was none too friendly looking, but the small label on it said other wise. _Healing Potion._

A faint sound, like the tinkling of a thousand bells caught his ears. The boy tucked the bottle away in his pocket for safekeeping. He watched amazedly as the shattered crate disappeared before his very eyes. There was a loud _thud_, and a wooden barrel appeared at his side. It, too, was painted with yellow stars. He wrinkled his nose. He had the feeling that someone was making fun of his…mishap…with the crate. _'Well I'll show them…whoever they are.'_

He lifted the crate quite easily over his head and threw it as far as he could. Instead of zooming over the edge of the platform – as he had expected – the barrel crashed and splintered in midair. A flash of scorn and annoyance that he knew was not his own struck the back of his mind. Like when you were nearly hit by something… (AN: Let's just say JT's lucky she's transparent. ) The splinters disappeared, and the sound of bells returned. It lasted for only a moment, and was punctuated with a distinct click.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small beam of light coming from the general direction of the door. As curious as he was, the boy couldn't help but find the source. What he found surprised him.

The translucent door was no longer translucent. It was now a perfectly solid pair of bronze and silver doors. There was a tiny beam of light coming from the crack at the bottom. He circled around to the other side. That was strange.

There was no light on that side. He circled back around. The light was still there. Very strange. With unsteady hands the boy reached out for one of the handles. It was cool beneath its fingers as he gently tugged at it. It didn't budge. He pulled harder, and there was still nothing. Then it abruptly jerked forward of its own accord. Blinding light spilled through the doorway. It was so bright. His eyes were clenched shut as he walked through the light.

"Hold on," the voice came to him, its grim amusement nearly audible, "The door won't open just yet. First, tell me more about yourself." He opened his eyes, as the light had already died down, and immediately knew where he was. It was his home, and yet…at the same time, it wasn't. He knew better. The salty air – though so similar to that of his home – was not the same. The air was stale. The sky wasn't as blue. The ocean wasn't the right shade of teal. His friends that were in front him did not have the same air about them. And the eerie presence that the strange void gave off was still present.

The voice, the monster inside his brain, whatever you wished to call it, created this. But how could it know about his home? He jumped clean off the ground as a soft growl came from the back of his mind, barely brushing the surface, along with a sharp nudge towards one of his friends.

Giving in to the strange urgings, the boy warily approached the figure of Tidus, a blonde-haired boy with a strange fashion sense – though he was one to talk – and was always swinging that stick of his. The kid's dream was to be the strongest on the island, though it seemed far from coming true. Tidus didn't seem recognize him as he came near, his aqua gaze fixed dazedly on him. "What are you afraid of?" he asked before the brown-haired boy could open his mouth. He stared; wondering was kind of sick game he had fallen upon. But, all the same he answered: "Being indecisive."

"Being indecisive? Is that really so scary?" That said, Tidus went silent. A bit too hastily he left the blonde boy, moving on to the next figure. It was none other than Selphie. The romance-loving girl spent her days looking off into sunsets and dreaming of better things. "What's most important to you?" she asked as he approached.

'_This again?'_ He sighed, and thought about it for a moment. "Friendship."

"Is friendship such a big deal?" He didn't even bother to attempt an answer. The last person in this psycho world was Wakka. Blitzball wiz extraordinaire with the guts to prove it. Everything about this image of him seemed real; from the way he tossed a blitzball to his freakish orange hair. "What do you want outta life?" he said in the Jamaican accent that was Wakka. For a long while he was silent. And then: "To be strong."

Wakka cocked his head. "To be strong huh?"

"Hm…" He looked up as the voice returned. "You're afraid of being indecisive. You want friendship. You want to be strong." The voice paused thoughtfully. "Your journey begins in the dead of night. Your road won't be easy, but a rising sun awaits your journey's end."

He stayed silent, thinking it wise. Hell, he had no clue what all of it meant, all he wanted to do was get out of this place. The voice must've taken his silence as approval, for it continued. "The day you will open the door is both far off and very near."

A bright flash of light erupted around him, forcing the boy to close his eyes. The oh-so-familiar sounds of tinkling bells reached his ears, but this time it was accompanied by another sound. Footsteps. Slow, deliberate footsteps echoed in his ears. They were not his own, this he knew. He had not moved and inch since the light had swallowed him.

The footsteps stopped, and he opened his eyes. What he found startled him.

It was that woman from before, the one the though he'd imagined. Yet there she was in all her ghostly glory. She was most certainly a soldier of some kind. Head held high, posture nearly ramrod straight, booted feet together… the perfect example of a soldier. Though she was certainly strange. The vibrant transparency of her flesh suggested that the woman was pale, but it had a soft olive tone to it – which contrasted greatly to her raven hair that was pulled high on her head. Her eyes stood out most; they were an amazing shade of ice blue, cat-like, and glowed with their own light. Just under her right eye was a long thin scar, a remnant of a battle long past. Her outfit consisted of black, crimson, and gold. Around her upper arm and also wrapped around her forehead were crimson red bandanas. Her sleeveless shirt, too, was crimson. Her pants, boots, belt, gloves, and the pendent dangling from her throat were black. Her right glove however had unique golden claws where the fingers should've been, and her earrings were also gold. And her ears…they were pointed…

It was then he realized that he had been staring. It was also then that he realized she had been staring right back at him. The boy quickly averted his eyes with an embarrassed blush. (AN: He's so sweet n.n)

A flash of movement caused him to look up. The woman was beckoning him closer with a golden claw. He stood his ground. He did not very well trust this woman. Seeing this, the woman frowned and let her hand drop back to her side. And it was back to the stare down.

Seconds seemed like eternity, but he barely managed to hold her unnatural gaze. In all truth, this woman set alarms off in his head. Alarms that screeched '_DANGER!'_ in a shrill voice. There was something almost…evil about her…

No… not evil exactly, but dark…yes very dark.

For some reason unknown to him, the woman's dark brows raised in question. She took a step towards him. He took a step back.

Step forward.

Step back.

This continued on for about five more steps. He was not going to let this woman so close to him. The woman must've realized this, for her frown deepened, and she apparently gave up on trying to come near him. Oh how wrong he was.

Whether he blinked or not, he was unsure. But one moment she was there, and the next she was gone. The boy's eyes darted frantically around the white world. She wasn't there…he couldn't see her…where was she…?

Subconsciously, he had begun walking backwards, sapphire eyes still jumping in their sockets. His heart was pounding in his ears, and his breath came in short pants as fear and anticipation ate way at him. She was a ghost, she had to be.

Was it just him…or did the world just become very, very cold? '_Where is she?'_

"Right here gaki."

His eyes widened as they shot upwards to where the cold and darkly amused voice had come from, straight into glowing icy eyes. With a yelp he jumped away, the warmth immediately coming back to him. He discovered why with a jolt.

_He'd been standing in her._ (MUAHAHA! Couldn't resist.)

So there he was, on the ground after falling from his frantic leap, and the ghostly woman was staring down at him, a faint smirk on her lips. "I don't bite y'know," her dark voice reached his ears. Then she took it one step further and grinned down at him. His blood ran cold. She had _fangs_. "…much." Good GOD, what matter of creature was this woman?!

Her eyebrow twitched. "A creature am I?" He jumped. '_How-?'_

The woman pointed to her temple, clearly indicating she could hear his thoughts. "It's all part of the job, gaki." With that the woman knelt before him so that she was level. At this close range her ghostly features looked a bit different. She seemed nearly…lonely. Also, he thought if she actually smiled, she would come off as a very pretty lady. The woman's expression turned incredulous. Oh crap, she didn't hear that did she?

She cleared her throat. "So…gaki," she began, "How would you like to get out of here?"

Leave? HELL YES! Get him out of this crazy place! Then he blinked. And it was gone again.

He was on _another_ platform. '_Geez I'm really getting tired of these things.'_

--------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, JT was drifting overhead. There was a small grin that brightened her features somewhat, though it was not nearly as effective as it used to be. He was an interesting kid, that one. It would be a shame to see him go…

…Wait, where'd that come from?!

Kami-sama, she must be getting lonely if she actually thought about _this_ kid keeping her company. She would've been driven nuts in about three days. But now, she needed to get the kid home…

Ha, that was easier said than done. _'Let's see…'_ she thought, _'Kazu once told me about a spell for transporting inter-dimensions…but what was it…' _JT wracked her brain, searching for the proper spell. She remembered spending hours upon hours with Kazu where all they talked about were the spells and enchantments that she knew…but not once could she remember the one she needed.

Basic elemental spells; definitely not. Healing; n-

She had felt the great tug at her mental barriers far too late. Before JT could mount a defense, great holes were ripped open in the barrier. The Heartless were back. And this time, she could feel wave upon wave of them.

A chorus of loud hisses and shrieks brought her attention to the matter at hand. Below her, the young boy was battling furiously against a small band of shadow Heartless. He was doing quite well too, all things considered. He nimbly ducked beneath their sharp claws and slashed at one if it dared get close enough. The weak creatures were dispatched easily enough, but the boy was no worse for wear. There was a decent sized cut on the poor boy's temple, and his limbs were dotted with various bruises. Not that it couldn't be fixed. JT drifted down to a space on the floor near the boy. She concentrated her energies and willed herself to touch the glass platform.

To her charge she knew that the glass felt cold and slick beneath his feet, but she felt nothing. It may have been her illusion, but the fact that she was still dead kept her from feeling much of anything. If she was able, JT knew she would've found the glass beneath her growing warm. A soft green light spread from where her feet touched the floor until a circle of light surrounded her.

The boy watched on in amazement and apprehension. She couldn't blame him, really. He couldn't see her, and therefore probably believed this to be a trap. The hanyou gave him a mental nudge, letting him know that this was not true. He seemed to have understood her message, for he grinned nervously and approached the glowing circle.

He studied it for a moment or two, perhaps wondering what it was he was supposed to do. Then he shrugged and stepped into the light.

The very instant his foot touched the ground, the once still light shot upwards, wrapping itself around the boy. It wormed its way into his injuries, most importantly the cut on his temple. It grew brighter with a burst of energy, and then faded. The boy looked down at his fully healed body. He raised a gloved hand to his temple, apparently groping for a cut that was no longer there. When the boy realized this he jumped into the air and gave a loud whoop. Certainly an enthusiastic boy.

Now back to the problem at hand. How to send him home…?

"**Maybe you should try opening a portal…those work inter dimensions as well."** JT whirled about. What was that?! Who was that?! There was no direct answer…just a small chuckle. She turned to look back at the boy…he didn't appear to have heard anything…

What do you call it when the "voice inside your head" hears a "voice inside their head"?

There was a soft melodious laugh. **"I believe the term is 'insane', dear,"** it replied to the unspoken question. **"Now, you need to get that boy home do you not? I'll help you."**

'How can I trust you?' 

"Hmmmm…good question. Look at it this way: why would I try to kill the boy when there's a Heartless right outside this illusion that could do that?"

'_Heartless…?'_ It was at that moment that she felt a vice-like grip close around her mind, raking invisible claws at her mental barriers. She yelped in pain and grabbed her head with both hands. The presence continued to rip at her mind, forcing its way in. She put all her strength into forcing the barriers shut, but to no avail. The Heartless on the other side pushed back with equal – if not more – force. Something had to give soon, and JT had a sickening feeling wasn't going to be that monster.

The hanyou spirit glanced down at her charge, who was wandering about oblivious to the thing that would soon be on his heels. She had to make sure that he was safe; it was her "job" after all. Then she could get him out of here. For that, she decided, another platform was needed. The barriers surrounding this one were far too weak. _'Hey! You still out there?'_

"**I never left. All right now, here's what you've got to do…"** As the voice was whispering hurried instructions to her, the hanyou had flown off the platform, conjuring up a path as she went. She was pleased to see that the boy had followed without question. By the time he had reached the next platform, JT had already enclosed it in a fresh barrier and was concentrating on the spell she had been given by the strange voice. This proved difficult, as mounting a defense and teleporting someone from one reality to the next were difficult tasks by themselves. Trying to do both at once would prove challenging for even a trained magi. And with the strain being put on the barrier, she estimated that it would take even longer.

But she had to try. This kid was her ticket home. That, and the kid had been place under _her_ protection. It was _her_ job to make sure this boy succeeded…much to her reluctance.

The presence returned full force. And with her focus split between keeping the barrier up and the teleport spell, the monster broke through easily. Waves of panic swept through her as the boy's shadow began to stretch and elongate. With every ounce of strength she had to spare, the hanyou tried to seal the enormous rift in the barrier, to send the great shadow back to the void from whence it came. All was in vain, however, as the creature pushed back with such force that _she_ was nearly banished instead. Though JT remained, her hold on the barrier shattered, leaving the beast free to do as it pleased.

There was nothing she could do to stop it! She could only watch in horror as the oblivious boy's shadow continued to writhe and grow. It was ironic really. It reminded her of a saying that she had read in one of Kazu's spell books. "The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes."

--------------------------------------------

He looked up, confused by the words that had just shot out at him from the dark void. They were murmured almost, as if the speaker was lost in a far off place. He abruptly shivered, the feeling of being watched intensifying tenfold. Unlike before, the presence at his back had turned malicious and undeniably evil – rather than the dark presence of the strange voice.

This feeling of being watched escalated until he felt he could burst. The boy could almost feel two holes being burned into his back. He couldn't take it anymore. He whirled around…

And he swore his heart stopped.

His very own shadow was dislodging itself from the glass floor. It stood at least five times taller than himself, and was staring down at him with great yellow eyes. The boy watched horror-struck, as the shadow twisted and mutated. Its hands became longer, fingers sharpening into grotesque claws. Then the creature's face changed, the hair lengthening into long tendrils that wrapped around the lower half of its face. Markings like invisible tear tracks gouged themselves just below the thing's eyes. Then a hole started to form in the center of its chest. The hole began to grow and grow. There was no indication that he monster felt any pain at this. It was a nightmare, it had to be! Someone, quick, wake him up!

That was all he could stand.

With as much speed as he could muster, the boy ran in the opposite direction. He didn't get very far, as he had forgotten that the platform stopped only a few yards away.

"But don't be afraid." The familiar voice came to him, soft, as it the speaker had whispered it into his ear. "And don't forget–" Suddenly, it stopped. And there was dead silence, save for his own breathing. He was alone… truly alone…where was the voice? Sure, it was creepy, but it was better than being alone in this place with that monster.

A sensation of warmth shot through his right hand, as if responding to his plea. There was a light there, a soft comforting kind of light. Just as he knew it would, the light instantly formed into the chosen shining silver sword. For what seemed like eternity he stared at the weapon in his hand. The presence around him changed. He was being watched again. And this time, there was an almost animalistic emotion that came with it. It screamed from the back of his mind. He couldn't place it, but it both scared him and made him feel safe at the same time…

Maybe he wasn't so alone after all.

--------------------------------------------

It would be an understatement to say that JT was less than happy. In all truth, she was _fed up_ with these Heartless bastards. This emotion only grew when she realized that she could no longer contact the boy. The _damn _Heartless had completely blocked her out of the boy's mind. She could nearly see the waves of despair and fear rolling off the poor boy.

That was the effect of the Heartless. They wormed their way into a person's heart and overwhelmed it with negative feeling such as fear and hate. She too remembered feeling such emotions when coming in contact with them.

Thankfully, though, she had been able to give the boy his sword. That was a power she still had fortunately.

The moment she saw how the boy was gazing into the silver blade – more importantly, the fact that his eyes were trained on her reflection – she knew the boy had finally discovered the sword's significance.

**Light within Darkness. Love within Hate. Courage within Truth. **The first two were opposites, unlike the third. But their meaning was the same. The ability to face the truth lies in stems from courage. The blade itself – depending on how courageous her charge was feeling – would show him what was normally unseen. In it the boy could see her as clear as day. And if he had cared to look closer, he would see through her illusion.

The boy leapt out of the way as the giant hand of the Heartless bore down on the both of them. True, it could not harm her at present, but she still felt opt to move. From her new vantage point high above the battle, JT could see the beast's hand sink into the nonexistent glass floor. The void around its claws rippled and fell away to reveal more of its ant-like underlings. But the boy ignored them, and instead took advantage of the waiting beast. The sword-wielding boy jumped onto the thing's hand and ran up its thick arm. He leapt onto its shoulder and swung repeatedly at the monster's great head.

The giant Heartless reared back suddenly in pain, throwing the boy off. He landed hard upon the glass with a dull _thud_. In mere moments the lesser creatures were upon him thrashing their terrible claws.

She hated not being able to do anything! All she could do at this point was watch, and hope that Heartless didn't tear him to shreds before she could send him home!

There was a chorus of high shrieks as her charge broke through the onslaught swinging his sword with renewed strength. She silently thanked whatever deity would listen for his exceptional swordsmanship. Though he certainly didn't come out unscathed. Blood was oozing down the side of his face from a shallow cut on his cheek. From what she could tell, the boy's arms were covered in small nicks. Not deep enough to do much more than sting, but enough for it to bleed profusely.

With the lesser Heartless destroyed, the boy focused on the main problem. Namely, the giant beast bent on killing him. The Heartless had fallen to its knees, its colossal arms spread wide. The boy grinned in apparent triumph as he once again began to make his was up to the creature's head. Just as he had begun the climb, however, a violent tremor shook the beast's form, knocking him back to the ground.

The Heartless continued to tremble as violet light burst from the heart-shaped hole in its torso. The light separated into small spheres that whizzed wildly about. One sphere went flying harmlessly past her head, nearly making her lose her concentration. The boy was not doing much better below.

The spheres zeroed in on him, flying at him from all angles. Two barely missed knocking him in the head, and one managed to graze his left shoulder. Still, he was able to dodge some of them.

JT had seen this attack once before. Back when Makai was destroyed, as forever ago as that may seem. She remembered the _attack_, but the solution was another matter.

A loud _pop_ and an equally loud bang showed her a pretty decent answer. The boy was hunkered down, sword raised beside him. As another sphere zoomed toward him, the boy swung at it with the blunt edge of his sword. This sent the sphere flying backwards, hitting the glowing orb hovering just above the monster's torso. With a great explosion the light dissipated as the Heartless reeled in obvious pain. She could feel its essence weakening. It was defeated. She had to admit; the kid sure knew how to improvise.

Alarms went off in her head.

Hm…right. Time to send the kid home.

--------------------------------------------

Well that victory had been short-lived.

And it just figured didn't it? The moment that he began to pat himself on the back, as it were, over beating the giant…thing, it rounded on him.

Life's just full of surprises, isn't it?

The black beast raised its hand, claws ready for the strike. That didn't bother him much though, not in the least. He'd just run up its arm as before and attack the beast's head with his sword.

Sword…? He looked down, his gloved hand groping the air where the sword had been.

No sword. _'That's…not…good.'_

He looked up again, and was greeted with the monster's hands bearing down on him.

Not good! Run!

He barely managed to avoid getting squashed, but the force of the impact caused him to tumble backwards onto the platform.

All was silent once more.

The beast stared down at him with dead yellow eyes. A dark substance was leaking through the glass under him. His blood was frozen, his heart still and cold. He could do nothing but keep eye contact with the beast. The ooze weaved around his arms and legs, trying to drag him under.

"-But don't be afraid." It was back again, even less clear and fuzzy than before. Like internal static.

The dark ooze had completely devoured his legs, he couldn't feel them anymore. But the voice had broken him from his trance and he began to struggle with all his might.

"You hold the mightiest weapon of all."

The boy flipped onto his stomach, trying to drag himself out of the pool. But the inky tendrils wrapped around his arms and torso. He was sinking into it!

"So don't forget: -" He turned in place, confused. The voice had become crystal clear, and the static was gone. He recognized that voice. But at the same time he wished he didn't. He could see that woman again. That dark, frightening woman. She was standing off to the side, looking down at his struggle as if it were a show, making no move to help him.

For a moment she just stared at him. And then an almost sinister expression came to her face. As he was pulled under, she said:

"You are the one who will open the door."

End Chapter 4.

AN: Ah yes, another chapter complete. Well! On to the next! XP


	7. Chapter 5: Unmei

**Not So Standard Disclaimer:** And for his special debut chapter, the OMPU brings you: Unmei!

Unmei: 'ELLO! JT doesn't own Kingdom Hearts. Ya know that already. Don't sue, or I'll sick the flamers on you. MUAHAHAHA!

**Rating:** PG-13 for language, violence, gore, and future romance

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Romance

**Summary: **Her planet was the first to go. And she was killed in the process. Now she must become a guardian to the only one who can save them to redeem herself. (My take on who the "All-knowing voice" is.)

**AN: **Yay! It is finished! Chapter 5 of our ongoing adventure! Read. Enjoy.

_Review Corner:_

**Rurouni Saiyan:** YAY, SPECUATING! I love it when my reviewers speculate. Hmmm…well, I'm not gonna tell you who the "helper" was. That would ruin the story! Thanks for the Japanese tip…I've been stuck with Japanese-English dictionaries, you'll have to forgive me.

**Jigoku Hikari:** Though we may never see you again, I will still put you up here. Farewell Imouto-chan!

… Whaddya mean ya only read the summary?! Kami-sama, don't review unless ya take the time ta read the fic. Geez. Oh and four words: my fic, my rules. XP

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**.:Guardian of Keys:.**

Chapter 5: Unmei

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The sound of seagulls and ocean wind greeted him as he slipped back into the conscious world. The boy blinked his sapphire eyes groggily. Above him was the beautiful blue sky that he had grown up under.

Slowly he lifted his tired body into a sitting position. Before him, the vast ocean he'd known all his life stretched to the horizon, and the white sand beneath him was warm and soft.

How'd he get on the beach? He didn't remember coming down there. That place…was it just a dream? A great yawn left his mouth, and he flopped back onto the sand.

He blinked, instead of sky there was a pair of indigo eyes staring back at him.

"Whoa!" He jolted back into a sitting position, now fully awake. The intruder gave a soft, melodious laugh as he turned around. The teenage girl in front of him was smiling impishly, her vibrant red hair framing her face. "Aw, gimme a break Kairi," he said sheepishly.

Kairi smiled wide, a slight laugh in her voice as she spoke. "Sora, you lazy bum. I knew you'd be snoozing down here!"

"No, this huge black THING swallowed me up!" He blurted, shaking his head, "I couldn't breathe, I couldn't-" Sora gave a small yelp as Kairi promptly whacked him upside the head.

"Are you still dreaming?"

"It wasn't a dream! Or…was it?" He sighed. "I don't know. What was that place…? So bizarre…"

The redheaded teen scoffed as she walked past her friend. "Yeah, sure."

It was then, Sora decided, that he needed to change the subject, a very familiar one. "Say Kairi," he began, "what was your hometown like? Y'know, where you grew up?"

Kairi didn't look at him, but kept her eyes trained on the horizon. "I told you before. I don't remember."

"Nothing at all…?"

"…Nothing."

Sora paused for a moment, unsure of how to continue. Kairi's past had always been a bit of a touchy subject. "Would you ever wanna go back?"

"Well…" the girl hesitated. "I'm happy here."

"…Really…?" Sora's brow rose skeptically, but he tried not to let _too_ much sarcasm into his voice.

"But y'know, I wouldn't mind going to see it." Sora nodded enthusiastically at this, a wide grin splitting his features. "I'd like to it too," and then as an afterthought he added, "Along with any other worlds out there. I wanna see 'em all!" Yes, that was his dream. Something that most people thought he was crazy for. And was it really all that strange? To have a great adventure; to see what no one else had? For fourteen years he had been condemned to the two islands, and rarely more than that. He had only been to any of the other islands when he was younger.

And he knew that, somewhere out there, there was more than endless ocean and a few islands. There had to be more to the world than that. It would be a terribly _boring_ place if it were.

Kairi turned back to face him, her indigo eyes bright. "So what're we waiting for?"

"Hey." Both boy and girl turned at the new voice, their faces lighting in recognition. The boy before them was taller than Sora, but had the same lean build. Exotic silver hair fell to his broad shoulders, long bangs falling into his bright sea-green eyes. He wore a tight, yellow sleeveless shirt with black trim, two black buckles running in an "X" across his chest, and baggy lack pants. His shoes, like Sora's, were a few sizes too big. In his arms the boy held a fat log. "You guys forgettin' about me?"

A small smile lit his boyishly handsome face as he shook his head. "Looks like I'm the only one workin' on the raft." He walked towards them, throwing the thick log to Sora as he passed. The earthen-haired boy let out a huff as he collapsed under it, taken off guard. His counterpart continued walking until he was a foot away from Kairi. He leaned forward with a fake condescending glare. "And you're just as lazy as he is," the boy remarked, nodding to the teen on the ground.

Sora pushed the heavy piece of wood off with a huff and a grin. Yep, Just another day on Destiny Islands.

--------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, in a secluded grove on an island not so far away, a certain raven-haired hanyou was having a similar awakening. The first thing she became aware of was the warmth. The void that she'd called home for the past nine years was dark, dank, and unbelievably cold. Of course, when you're dead temperature didn't matter, but it was still noticeable.

Where the hell was she?

JT forced her eyes open, and immediately regretted it. Holy, the _sun_ was directly above her. Thousands of invisible daggers pierced her skull, and she thought for a moment the sheer brilliance of it had scrambled her brain. She clenched her eyes shut in pain.

"Ah, wakin' up now, eh? Well, it's about time. Good thing I don' have to worry about age." JT cracked open one eye as a shadow fell over her. She hissed. It still hurt, a lot. "Yeah, I bet tha' hurts like a bitch, huh? After nine whole years in th' Void 'n all." The figure above her laughed. "'Ang on, I'll fix ya right up." Long, thin fingers brushed her long bangs out of her face and began to make small, soothing circles against her temples.

Her eyes drooped lazily as the pain in her head slowly faded. Her vision darkened a bit and cleared. The blurry figure above her was slowly coming back into focus.

A swift tap on her forehead snapped her from her trance. Her vision became crystal clear with an abrupt jolt. The grinning face above her pulled back a little so she could see him better. "'Ello there. An' who might you be?"

JT moved to sit up, and the man moved farther away from her. The ghostly hanyou glared up at the strange looking man. He was like nothing she had ever seen before. His eyes seemed to change colors with the waxing and waning sunlight. They changed from bright orange, to a dark red, to a golden yellow – and she swore even violet at one point – in a matter of seconds! The man's hair was a violent shade of red-orange, and was so unruly that it stuck up in odd places. His outfit was simple: a blood red, tight-fitting short-sleeved shirt and baggy white pants. He wore a pair of simple white Chinese slippers, (AN: Saying "Chinese slippers" bugs me…does any one know the PROPER name for them?) which left the violet star tattoo on his ankle bare to the world. The only jewelry he wore were the four earrings – one black stud, two silver hoops, and a silver star.

The man's amusement seemed to grow as she glared at him, for he laughed loudly. "Well now, 'Dousha said ya were a feisty one, but I wasn't expectin' this. Th' name's Unmei by the way." The man, Unmei, held out his hand to her.

When she was still glaring up at him a few moments later he said, "It's not very polite to ignore someone who's tryin' ta help." Truth be told, she wasn't trying to make it a point to be rude. It was more that she wanted to ask so many questions. Where was she? How could this Unmei see her? "Dousha"? Did he mean _Shidousha_? Was he a member of Kingdom Hearts?

Unmei blinked, his grin faltering slightly. Then his expression turned thoughtful. "You're Destiny Islands; spirits are able to see other spirits; yeah I mean Shidousha; and _of course_ I'm a member of Kingdom Hearts."

She looked at him strangely.

The other spirit pointed to his temple, an all too familiar gesture. "It's all part of the job, girly."

The fact that he was imitating her conversation with the boy was annoying, but…JT felt her eye twitch. "_Girly?!"_ she hissed.

"Cha. What else am I supposed t' call ya?"

"My name maybe," she muttered, finally taking his hand. Unmei pulled her to her feet, keeping a firm hold on her arm when the hanyou stumbled a little.

"Rule number one: I don't go digging in a persons' past without permission, only the thoughts that skim the surface."

JT stood straighter once she regained her bearings, (It had been nearly a decade since she had "stood" after all.) back straight and chin held high in her perfect soldier form. She gave his hand a small shake. "Jigoku Tenshi. My friends call me JT…at least they would if I had any left."

"Well I'll be the first in a long while then," he said, smiling.

"Ha. Keep telling yourself that." With that, the woman abruptly turned on heel, and left the bewildered spirit behind.

Four steps, and she ran into something. JT looked up. There stood Unmei, his amused grin – that annoyed her to no end – plastered across his face. She brushed past him with a snort.

Six more steps, and he was there again. She growled. "_Will you stop that?!_"

"No." He then laughed at her expression. "You really are new at this aren't you?"

"Nani?"

He blinked his multicolored eyes. "…eh?"

"_Nani?_"

"_WILL YOU STOP SPEAKING GIBBERISH?!_"

"IT'S MY NATIVE LANGUAGE YOU PRICK!"

"…native language…? You Wutainese?"

"…hai…"

"…?"

She sighed, and slapped her forehead. "…_yes_." Unmei looked thoughtful. He walked circles around her, taking in every aspect of the woman – much to her annoyance. Finally, he stopped in front of the hanyou.

"Hmm…you look it. 'Dousha and Katsu speak it sometimes. But y'see, _here_ we speak _English._ So none of that Wutainese gibberish."

JT growled and bit the inside of her cheek to keep the scathing retort from forming. Who was he to tell her what to do? Planet spirit or no.

"Let's just say I'm your personal trainer."

Damn. How could she forget about his little mind reading ability? All the same she whirled around to face him. "_What?_"

"_My_ job – aside from my normal duties as Planet spirit – is to teach you the basics of being a Guardian of the Keyblade Master. What to do, how to contact your charge, basic magic… that sort of thing." He gave the hanyou a half pleading, half commanding glance – which she had thought to be impossible. The spirit was full of contradictions, ne?

"I don't… have a choice, do I?"

"Nope! It's either this, or you get sent back to the Void."

JT sighed in defeat. She really did _not_ want to go back, now that she was finally free. "What do I have to do?" she asked gloomily.

Unmei's expression brightened considerably despite her tone. Quite frankly, it was scary how fast this guy switched gears. "I'm so glad you asked!" he said brightly. "Follow me!" That said, the spirit latched onto her bandaged wrist and began to drag her into the air. A surprised yelp wrenched itself from her throat as her feet left the ground.

Taking advantage of her unguarded moment, the redhead zoomed across the sky. The land – island, she corrected herself – was far below them, and she could see a few more islands of in the distance. As far as the eyes could see stretched an ocean of the deepest teal. '_And ocean Planet?'_ She turned from the outstanding view, to the spirit currently dragging her across the sky. "Hey you… Unmei!"

"Hm?"

"Is there any large bodies of land here? Like a mainland perhaps?"

"Nope! Just a few islands like this. It is _Destiny Islands_ after all. The one we're going to has been sort of taken over by the children. There are no adults on the island, and the children come and go as they please."

It was then she remembered how young her charge was. An island of children huh…? What did they _do_ all day…? Play pretend… or whatever it was little children do? It wasn't as if she'd know. Her childhood was nearly nonexistent.

JT briefly saw the grin spreading across Unmei's face.

"You're reading my mind again, aren't you?"

"Heh. Maybe…"

"Well stop," she spat, mentally cursing herself for being disrespectful to someone _clearly_ stronger than her – but it was really too late to stop now. "Here, I'll make you a deal. I'll be cooperative, you quit reading my mind. It's unnerving. All right?"

The spirit skidded to an abrupt halt, making her crash into him. He looked over his shoulder at her with a smirk. She decided she didn't quite like that grin. "Deal." And off they went again.

_'Oh, Holy…what have I gotten myself into?'_

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Her body collided with the glistening sand – or rather, nearly went through it. In fact, most of her body _did_ go through the sand. JT grumbled irritably as she extracted her upper body from the land beneath her. "Was that _really_ necessary?!"

Unmei merely grinned down at her. Kami-sama that guy was annoying. _'Iie…calm down. You do have a deal to keep.'_ Regaining her composure she stood, all the while glaring at the spirit. Then, deciding that glaring would get her nowhere, JT scanned their surroundings. It was a small bay of some sort, the emerald sea stretching out before them. On both sides were smooth moss covered rocks sloping into the cliff behind them. At the base of the cliff was a small grove of tree reaching towards the sky. Overall, it was quite an experience. "So… where are we?"

The man made a gesture to the cliffs. "'The Island of the Children. They're on the other side of the island right now. That will give us time to train."

The warrior scoffed. "Training? For what? I know how to fight."

Unmei shook his head. "Using your fists will amount to nothing at this point. You need to use the powers of the magi to fight."

"You're kidding…right?"

"No. You're a _spirit-_" he paused for a moment, his hand rising to his chin. "…no, I take that back: you're worse off than a spirit. Proper spirits can show themselves to mortals at will. _You,_ however, must earn that power."

"Wait," JT said, a tone of outrage and confusion apparent, "how am I supposed to protect the gak…kid-" she caught herself that time "-if I'm worse off that a spirit?!"

"Well that's where the training comes in."

"…Shimatta…" (Damnit…) JT couldn't stop herself from cursing in her native language.

"I thought I said no Wutainese."

"Unmei is Wutainese for '_Destiny'_! How could you have that name and not know Wutainese?!" Great. Now it was a shouting match.

"FYI: Unmei isn't my given name. It's just what I'm known as in Kingdom Hearts."

She tried to keep the next question from leaving her lips, but the curiosity was too great. "What _is_ your real name then?"

The soft grin turned into a full-fledged smirk. She had walked tight into his trap. Damn. "There are only three others who know it, and I only tell my name to those I trust with my life."

Now that was strange. Hiding a past she could understand, but a name? That didn't make sense…

"Actually, it makes perfect sense," said Unmei, startling her. "Giving your true name to someone gives them a bit of power over you. It's only slight, but a little can go a long way. Didn't you know that?" She almost cringed, thinking of how many people on Makai had known her name. "There's much you don't know about the universe it seems. Oh well, you'll learn one way or another."

"…You…" JT lowered her head, hiding her eyes beneath her long bangs. The corner of her mouth twitched.

"Hmm…?"

"You…" Her head rose slightly, making it appear as if her eyes were glowing in the shadow of her hair. An almost malicious smirk spread across her face. "You read my mind again."

"Heh heh…" Cold sweat dripped down the back of his neck. (Or at least it would have if he had a body.) The spirit cleared his throat. "Now," he began a bit hastily, "there are four basic rules you have to remember about being a guardian. Rule number one: protect the Keyblade Master at all costs – that's self-explanatory. Rule number two: for every Planet you visit on your journey, remember to have him seal the Keyhole. Rule number three: you must assist the other Great Spirits in keeping the Heartless at bay – and before you start with your 'I don't need help' line, get used to it. You _are _going to need it. And rule number four: get to the Door _before it opens!_ Any questions?"

"Many."

"We'll get to that later. First though, I have to teach you how to protect your charge." He motioned for her to come closer, which JT reluctantly obeyed. She stood, not even a foot between them. Then he leaned forward, so close their noses were almost touching, and stared at her. His eyes were constantly flashing between colors, before finally settling on a hauntingly beautiful lilac.

What the _hell_ was he doing? That stare… it was as if he were looking straight into her very core. Was he…?

Suddenly, the spirit pulled back, an almost unreadable expression on his face. "Have you practiced magic at any time during you life?"

"A little…" Magic wasn't exactly her strong suit. She had learned some basic spells, but the only advanced enchantment she knew was a healing spell.

"Good," he said, "then I don't need to go over the basics of energy summoning with you. Though, it'll be a bit different then summoning in a physical form. For now," he raised a hand into the air, a soft red light appearing in his palm, "we'll start with a basic elemental spell." JT jumped back as the light erupted into a dazzling flame around the spirit's hand.

And then something strange happened.

Unmei's eyes switched from their haunting lilac to a wild blood red. This made her uneasy, to say the least. It was a well-known fact that blood red eyes were rare – even among youkai. They usually meant a youkai was extremely powerful… or extremely insane… but hey, didn't power and insanity go hand-in-hand? But she digressed. It was as if Unmei's entire aura had changed from his reckless and amused state, to something darker…something she definitely didn't like.

Her fears were confirmed when a strange smile spread across his face. It wasn't right… it was barely bordering on sanity. "Isn't beautiful, young one?" His voice utterly shocked her. It was not the youthful voice she'd been introduced to. It was a low and evil hiss. The grin turned wicked and insane, which did not assure her. "How the flames dance with bloody light? _Burning_ all that crosses its path?" He eagerly brought the flame closer to her face, as if to let her admire the beauty of it. She took a step back and the grin faltered a bit. "It is beautiful, isn't it? Don't you agree with me, young one? Come, tell me you agree!"

"Er…Unmei…?" she asked, unsure of what to think of this new predicament.

The spirit's wicked joy vanished at the mention of his name. His bloody eyes narrowed into slits and he bared his teeth at her. "Don't call me that," he hissed dangerously at her. "How _dare_ you call me by that name. You will be _punished_ young one." His hand of flame rose slowly, preparing to strike her.

"_UNMEI!_" JT yelled, trying not to let any of the fear she felt show in her face, or her voice.

Unmei blinked, his multicolored eyes returning once more. He shook his head vigorously and the flames slowly dissipated from his hand.

"_What the HELL was that?!"_ she exclaimed once his attention had returned to her.

"Er…well…" the red-haired spirit grinned nervously. "Y'see it's a bit difficult to explain…"

JT shook her head, tangling a hand in her bangs. "Y'know, on second thought, I don't wanna know. Just don't try to kill me…again."

Unmei laughed, relieved. "Can do." He clapped his hands together, a smirk coming to his face. "Now, whaddya say we get started on out training, ne?"

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Nearly an hour later, JT collapsed – as best she could – onto the sand. Kami-sama, Unmei hadn't been kidding when he said summoning was more difficult when she didn't have a body. She was utterly exhausted, and she was only casting a basic fire spell! How was she supposed to protect anyone if she couldn't even re-master a simple spell?!

"It'll get easier as time goes on," Unmei grinned sheepishly as she glared at him. "I know, I know. Lay off the mind reading. Why don't you take a break? Go out and explore the island a bit. And more importantly, go find the Keyblade Master!"

"Yeah sure," the hanyou muttered under her breath as she propelled herself into the air. Anything to get away from there. She flew clean over the ledge that separated the bay from the rest of the island. The land beyond was mostly white sand, with lush tropical trees sprouting up near the cliff. In the center of the area was a huge, hollowed out tree. There were wooden planks all around the tree – as well as the tree next to it – creating a makeshift tree house of sorts. There was also a beautiful waterfall pooling in an alcove of rock to the far left. Not far from the shore was an outcropping of rock high about the water, a sturdy wooden bridge running back to the main island. It was pretty peaceful she decided.

All in all, she could see three children, none of which were her charge. One sitting on the wharf, one leaning against the ledge on the outskirts of the beach, and the final one on the platform to her right. It took her a moment to recognize them as the children that had been in the void's illusion. That had probably given the boy a scare…

The ghostly warrior descended, skimming just about the emerald ocean. Now where wa that kid?

_Clack… clack clack… thud!_

'_Hmm…wonder what that is…'_ JT halted near the outcropping of rock, listening to the steady sounds. They were fluid, rhythmic, and if she listened close enough she could discern two sounds and not just one. As she drifted higher, JT attempted to put movement with the sounds. _'It almost sounds like…'_ she drifted over the top of the cliff, _'… a swordfight?!'_

And there they were. The two boys were locked in a beautiful dance of swords – wooden swords albeit, but swords nonetheless. The boy, the chosen Keyblade Master, was putting up quite a fight. It was no wonder the boy had chosen a sword as his preferred weapon, he was a decent sword fighter! Decent, yes, but outclassed in this case, JT realized with a grimace. He was clumsy, stumbling about, swinging his sword as if it were a fly swatter. His opponent on the other hand moved with grace and accuracy. But the other boy's fighting style wasn't what caught her attention – he was good, extremely good, but… _'Kami-sama, the boy looks just like…like Sephiroth!'_ Same lean build, same silver hair – though shorter and styled differently – same haunting eyes…

And yet, as she studied him, she began to take back her words. The kid's hair was a bit more of a dull silver, rather than Sephiroth's molten silver tresses. The eyes, too, were different. The boy's eyes were blue-green, and paled in comparison to the feral electric-jade green eyes of Sephiroth. And…

She blinked. _'And _why_ am I thinking about this?!'_ The warrior shook her raven-haired head, effectively wiping the – for lack of better word – treacherous thought from her mind. JT smirked then, something cynical rising within her. Had Sephiroth escaped and – by some miracle – started a family? Well, technically, he would've had to do so _before_ he died, considering the boy's appearance.

Or maybe it was just some freak coincidence. Either way it didn't really matter to her. Just a bit of an amusing thought. Sephiroth, a father, HA! Yes, that surely was an amusing thought.

Her charge landed a strike across the other boy's chest, throwing him backwards onto the sand. And then with a great leap the boy was on his feet again, at it was her charge who was sprawled across the sand. The silver-haired teen strolled up to his opponent, and rested the edge of the wooden sword against his throat. "You lose, Sora."

"Aw…its 0 to 1 now…" Her charge – Sora – lifted himself off the ground, a sort of disappointed expression on his face. A competition? Is this what they did all day? She couldn't keep the smirk from her lips. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

"Yeah, it kinda grows on you." JT turned, glaring at the tall spirit next to her.

"How _do_ you keep doing that?!"

"You learn after a few millennia. So!" Unmei gestured back to the island. "You like what you see?"

"It's… nice," she replied hesitantly. "It's peaceful here…Those kids, do they always fight like that?"

"Oh yes! Sparring is one of the main entertainments on the island. That one there," he pointed to the silver-haired boy, "is Riku. He's the best fighter on the island. There's no one that can beat him."

"Hn." Interesting…

"Don't get any ideas. There's no way you could take on a corporal form in order to fight him at this point. That's advanced magic. Speaking of which," he turned to her with that reckless grin of his. "Time's up. Back to training."

She sighed. "Already?"

"Sorry JT, but no one ever said being a guardian was going to be a walk in the park."

**End Chapter 5.**

**AN: **Ah, yes. Another chapter complete. Be happy. Its past midnight here, I'm running mostly on caffeine, and I have a migraine. ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER! Ugh…I need an aspirin…


	8. Chapter 6: Midnight Mayhem

**Not So Standard Disclaimer: **And today we bring you Crystal Phoenix.

CP: KONNICHIWA! We of the marvelous OMPU do not own Kingdom Hearts – they belong to SquareEnix and Disney respectively. Demo…I'd like to own Sora, if no one minds. Tee!

**Rating:** PG-13 for language, violence, gore, and future romance

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Romance

**Summary: **Her planet was the first to go. And she was killed in the process. Now she must become a guardian to the only one who can save them to redeem herself. (My take on who the "All-knowing voice" is.)

**AN:** I just have one thing to say… MERRY CHRISTMAS! FELIZ NAVIDAD! MERRI KURISUMASU! Eh…can't think of anymore off the top of my head… This is my "Christmas present" to you guys. Rejoice!

_Review Corner:_

**Jigoku Hime:** ……………it is only polite I suppose… arigatou. -bows-

**Jigoku Hikari:** Imouto-chan! -pout- You'll want to read this one. There's two whole scenes not in the written version! XP

**Rurouni Saiyan:** Well that sounds interesting. XD I'm so jealous. You get a Japanese class. ARGH! Imouto-chan and I would _kill_ for a Japanese class. Hope you like this chapter!

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**.:Guardian of Keys:.**

_Chapter 6: Midnight Mayhem_

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The springs creaked violently as he flopped down onto it, clad in only his blue boxer shorts. He sighed contentedly as his sore muscles began to unwind. It had been a _long_ day. After going three-on-one with Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka, and _then_ going one-on-one with Riku, he was pretty bruised up. And he didn't even _win_ against Riku. He was still sore after using one of Kairi's healing potions.

That, and the strange – yet oh-so-familiar – tugging in the back of his mind had been bugging him all day. Like he was being watched. He hated that feeling, it unnerved him.

"Sora!" the voice drifted up the stairs.

"Yeah Mom?!" he called back.

"Dinner's ready!"

A soft groan left his lips. He _really_ didn't want to get out of bed. It was too comfortable to get out. "I'm not hungry Mom," he shouted, burrowing himself further into the cocoon of blanket he had wrapped himself in. The blissful world of sleep took him away without resistance.

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Sora found himself laying flat on his back. All around him was darkness. It was cold. The sort of unfelt cold that never affected you, but you always knew it was there. Everything was dark. Had he even opened his eyes? He blinked.

His eyes were open, but it was still black. _'Ah! I'm blind!'_ was the first thought in his head. He raised a hand to his face, and was shocked to find that he could see it clearly. Weird…

"Are you always this strange?" On instinct his sapphire eyes trailed to the direction of the voice. He'd heard it on two occasions now, and he dreaded hearing it again. He met a pair of icy blue eyes, and found himself leaping as far away as his strength would allow. It was that woman again.

She stood a few feet away, in that soldier-like air of hers, the smallest of smirks touching her otherwise scowling features. The woman stepped forward and he scooted himself backwards, a repeat of their first meeting. The smirk disappeared. "I'm not going to hurt you, y'know. You have my word on the matter."

"H-How do I know I can trust 'your word'?" he retorted, wincing as his voice wavered. He was thoroughly unconvinced.

She grinned humorlessly. "Smart boy. Maybe you're not as naïve as I first thought."

"How'd you get here? You were watching me today, I could tell."

"Hmmm, good question, gaki…" the woman muttered, almost to herself. "The minute you returned to the physical world so did I." The woman lowered herself to sit cross-legged on the "ground" and patted the space next to her expectantly. When he made no move, she sighed rubbing her temples. "C'mere. I said I wasn't gonna hurt you… not like I could if I wanted to anyway." Her last statement was muttered bitterly under her breath.

"…Promise…?" Call it childish, but he truly thought that it was something he _had_ to ask.

She threw up her hands in an agitated show of agitated peace. "Promise," she conceded, looking him straight in the eye. He still didn't fully believe her, but that small overly trusting part of his brain told him to. Mentally cursing that part of his mind, Sora shifted so he was sitting near her, though there was a good amount of distance between them. "So…who are you anyway? What's your name?"

There was a pregnant pause. The woman tensed considerably. "My name is none of your concern." Sora found himself scooting further away from her at the icy tone in her voice. "I am a spirit warrior. That's all you need to know."

Sora grinned broadly – though nervously – making her stare at him strangely. "You definitely act like a soldier," then his eyes sparked with childish delight, "and you don't look like you're from Destiny Islands either… so you must be from another world! What's it like?"

The woman's expression changed almost imperceptibly. The frown on her face deepened, and her eyes glazed over. "My world…it…" She seemed to be groping for the right words.

"…it…" And suddenly a low growl came from her, menacing and dark. "…it's really none of your business, _boy_."

…Okay…touchy subject. Changing topic now. "Um…may I ask why you're even following me in the first place…?"

She looked over at him, her strange eyes almost glowing in the darkness. "Tell me, gaki, have you ever heard of the Keyblade?"

"The 'Keyblade'? What's that?"

The woman stared at him as if there were vines growing out of his ears. "You've never heard of it?" There was an incredulous tone to that question, making him feel rather stupid not to have. All the same, he shook his head. "All right. It was said that at the beginning of time, evil ran wild throughout the universe. For years and years, shadows swallowed worlds, and the people became warped. They lost hope, and let themselves be taken by the darkness. There was a point in time when almost everything had been cast in shadow. And then something changed. A hero arose against the shadows. He vowed to lock them away for all eternity, even if it cost his life. The shadows, angered by this rebellion against them, attacked this hero. They engulfed him in an inky black sea, trying to taint his heart just as they had done to so many others.

"But the hero's heart too pure, even for them. Its pure light shown through the darkness, pushing the shadow's back into whence they came. The light of the hero's heart became an unstoppable weapon of light and hope – the Keyblade. With this weapon, the hero locked shadows away in the dark regions of the spirit realm, just he had vowed. He then traveled to the other worlds, bringing light back to the people. In every world he created great mystical locks – called Keyholes – that protected the world from darkness. And even after his death, the Keyblade still exists on, ready for its next Master to deliver the universe from darkness once again." She finished her tale by placing her gloved hands on his shoulders. Since this was his dream, she was just as solid as he was. "Listen, gaki, something is coming. Darkness is once again spreading throughout the universe. And there will be a time when you will have to leave this place. When that times comes, you can't be afraid of it. All right?"

Speechless, he nodded slowly.

"Good. Stay strong, gaki," she said with a small smirk, and then slowly faded into the black void. And he himself drifted off into a dreamless slumber with only one fleeting thought in his mind:

_'What the heck is 'gaki'?'_

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JT drifted noiselessly over the sleeping boy. There, she had done as Unmei had instructed. She'd warned the boy of the impending doom he would inevitably face. He took it pretty well, all things considered.

The boy – Sora, she reminded herself – stirred in his sleep. He really was a good kid. And every time she looked at him, something in the back of her mind sparked. He rather reminded her of someone… and at first she could not remember whom. But it nearly brought a smile to her face all the same. Nearly, but she found that it strangely would not come.

And when she finally did recall, JT felt as if she had been stabbed.

_'Imouto-chan…'_

Oh… Kami-sama… she had nearly forgotten. The initial shock quickly wore off however, returning to the back of her mind into an idle wondering of where her sister was now. Was she living happy with – she wracked her brain momentarily – Kazu? Yes Kazu. In that case she would be about… twenty-four now. Heh, she would be about JT's own age when she had finally died and stayed dead.

Or, there was the other possibility: they had been on a Planet that the Heartless had devoured. JT exited the room into the night air, still pondering on that predicament. She supposed she could ask Unmei about it.

'_You shouldn't dwell on it,'_ she chided herself, _'It will only break you focus.'_

…Kami-sama, when had she become so cold? When had _that_ snuck up on her? Now that she really thought about it, not once inside the void did she ever summon the illusion of old friends. Not once. She couldn't even smile anymore; it was like she'd forgotten. Whenever she tried, it always turned into a smirk.

Well, there was nothing she could do about it.

The ghostly hanyou soon found flying over the now deserted Island of Children. For a good while she merely drifted there in the sky watching the stars and moon pass by. She didn't know how long she stayed that way, just letting time pass as it always did. It didn't affect her anymore, so why should she care?

Regardless, JT was only broken from her half-trance when a shiver of anxiety swept through her being. Her musings broken, JT stared down at the island below. _'What was that?'_ Something had sparked in her mind, a dark presence seeming to loom over her. It was gone as fast as it had come. Her icy eyes raked over the islands landscape. It had come from down there.

She "landed" upon the silver sand without a sound. She moved across the moonlit beach, eyes scouring every nook and cranny they could find. Nothing moved except the gentle swaying of the tree in the wind and the lapping of the waves. JT soon came to the wooden shack that had been built into the cliff, still finding nothing. She was beginning to wonder if she had just imagined it.

A twig cracked somewhere opposite of her, and she unconsciously cloaked herself in the shadows. Out of habit, she crept quietly – though she knew that no one could see her – towards the source of the sound. Her keen eyes soon caught a sliver of movement in the shadows near where the giant tree met the cliff.

For a few moments she could see nothing but black, and then a flash of two yellowish orbs in the darkness. Her spiritual form stiffened. Those lights… they looked like eyes.

She vaguely heard the scuttling of claws on rock, and then all was silent once again. Where had it gone? She couldn't see anything, as the island was cast in darkness. And she was running empty when it came to spare energy for casting a fire spell. But she _had_ to know what it really was.

The warrior lifted her clawed glove before her and whispered, "Fire." The familiar pull of her remaining magic concentrated in the palm of her hand. It started as a soft glow, then there was a spark, and a small flame erupted from her palm. She was relieved that she could still cast magic after her training, though the effort did leave her slightly disoriented and the flame flickered every once in a while. The dark shadows dispersed, she could now see a small crevice between the bark of the tree and the rock. '_So that's where it went…'_

With unseen steps, the hanyou entered the cave. To anyone else, she would've appeared to be a flame floating at about chest level. Lucky for her though, there was no one around to see that. She loathed to think about the consequences if they did. Could you imagine the chaos that would ensue? A ghost on Destiny Islands! With these people, it would likely throw them into a mass panic! Not that bad of an idea though, hmm…

Oh how easily we digress.

There was little to no light in the narrow tunnel. The only light she could speak of were the few faint streams of moonlight that came from up ahead. But the flame resting in her palm lit up the rock walls with a brilliant glow, casting long shadows upon the wall. It was a truly eerie feeling. There were no sounds up ahead. Not even the torturous dripping of water one usually heard in a cave such as this.

She was nearing the end of the tunnel now. Whatever she had followed in here was just around the bend. There was enough light to see now, so JT quickly extinguished the flame. The aftereffects were immediate. The physical sensation of dizziness struck her at full force, and she nearly collapsed then and there.

So there she stood, reduced to heaving air into her long dead lungs to help clear her head. She seriously hoped that this wouldn't become a regular occurrence. How could she go through a serious battle if she couldn't even go a full day without tiring herself out?

Gradually, her head cleared enough so that she had proper control of her "body". She was still worn out but at least she could move again. The hanyou stumbled around the last bend and peeked out into the gloomy cavern ahead. A small sound of wonder left her lips.

It was _beautiful._

Silver moonlight streamed from the hole in the roof, casting light upon the darkened rock cavern and the bizarre drawings etched onto the rocks. The drawings covered every spare inch of the cavern, like an ancient language of pictures. JT had never seen anything like it before. At the far end of the small cave directly across from her was an out of place wooden panel built into the wall. Now why was that there?

Better question: where was that creature she had followed in here?

The answer: she truthfully had no clue. The light of the moon cast many a shadow upon the walls. The creature could be anywhere, hiding safely within the darkness of the cavern.

Something flashed briefly in the corner of her eye as the hanyou gazed into the shadowy crevices of the chamber. JT dragged her eyes slowly back to the plain wooden panel opposite her. That was where it had come from. When looking at it directly, it seemed normal enough. But there was something there, she knew it.

JT squinted; willing herself to see what mortals could not. Normally she could, but with her supernatural powers exhausted, she had to concentrate to accomplish this. Gathering every scrap of spiritual energy she had left, JT stared intensely at the panel. Her head was swimming with the strain of it, she felt weak. Slowly – almost too slowly – the layers of the mortal realm was torn away, letting the world of the supernatural shine through.

The object was only a hazy outline, due to her spiritual exhaustion. The center of it was rounded, the shape filing out into many intricate lines and patterns. But what was it? JT stepped forward on shaking legs. She wanted to get closer, to see it, maybe even touch it. She never got that chance.

Fiery agony raked across her form like monstrous claws grabbing her from behind. She was suspended in place, finding herself unable to move – even think – as the searing flames licked at her very core. Finally a strangled cry was wrenched from her. Kami-sama it hurt. It felt like she had been pulled back into that haunting lab in Hades' fortress. Except this time she couldn't just lose consciousness like she had back then.

Or could she? The warrior felt herself falling, the edging from her. She was drifting… no, she was fading away…

--------------------------------------------

The next moment JT was lying on her back, staring dazedly up at the night sky. The last remnants of the pain dissolving. _'Nani…?'_ her sluggish mind asked, _'What happened…? Where…?'_ The warrior became vaguely aware of a voice somewhere above her.

"You!" it cried exasperatedly. "What in the name of _Ifrit_ were you doing in there?! I could've _destroyed_ you GODDAMNIT!" Whatever was said next she did not care to catch. She was only drifting in and out of the tirade, catching a few choice phrases that she did not wish to think about at this moment.

The ghostly hanyou snapped from her daze some minutes later, feeling very weary. The ranting voice was crystal clear, and entirely recognizable. JT lifted herself into a sitting position. '_Unmei…?'_

Unmei it was, but not the way she would've preferred him. He was pacing back and forth, ranting and cursing vehemently. His eyes were a burning blood red that set her on edge. The color of blood meant danger.

He was worse than earlier in the day…

The spirit rounded on her suddenly, glaring maliciously at her. If looks could kill – if you would pardon the pun – she would be six feet under long ago. "What did you think you were _doing_ in there?!" he hissed, "You should be _punished, _young one! _Never_ go in there! You hear me? NEVER! Do not cross m-" He stopped mid-sentence, trembling uncontrollably. His hands rose from their place at his sides to clasp his hair.

Red eyes returned to golden yellow. Then it switched. And again. And again. Unmei was groaning in pain as he battled whatever madness that was clawing at him. "Go," he finally croaked. "Go back to the Keyblade Master and rest within his mind. Replenish your strength…argh… GO!" The statement was punctuated with a feral growl, his eyes becoming crimson once again.

JT decided that taking his advice was best. She took off like a shot, hoping that, that _thing_ didn't decide to come after her. She was flying as fast as her weakened spirit would allow, which wasn't very fast all things considered.

What _was_ that? Kami-sama, he was _insane_! What was he, schizophrenic?! The man scared her, quite frankly. He would be joyous one minute; serious the next, and then there was that crazy "personality" that had tried to destroy her twice now. It wouldn't surprise JT if he _was_ insane.

The man was really an enigma… there was no way she could read his actions. He was so unpredictable…

The sight of the small island town broke her from her musings. The fading fear of what had occurred was overridden by relief and exhaustion. She was so tired. She wasn't sure if she had the strength to get back. Luckily, JT found that strength and soon found herself back in the boy's bedroom.

She did as Unmei had hurriedly instructed her, entering Sora's mind, and let herself slip into welcoming oblivion.

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It was just past sunrise that morning on the Planet home to Disney Castle. The morning was peaceful and beautiful, just like every other morning. The birds were singing, the sun was shining brightly.

It was extremely boring to such spirits as Airlia.

Unlike most inhabitants – living and spirit alike – Airlia was completely humanoid. She stood at just a few inches below the six-foot mark, partly due to the heels on the brown leather boots she was wearing. Her navy hair was cropped short save for the long bangs that fell messily into her eyes. Her shoulder and chest were adorned in silver knight's armor. The insignia across her chest was that of the King's court. Thrown about her shoulders was a long navy blue traveling cloak, which hid most of her chest armor and long legs covered in baggy black pants that were tucked into her boots. Her thin hands were incased in thick leather of the standard knight uniform.

Airlia looked a fighter at first, but her eyes gave her true form away. She could fight and kill when needed – it was her duty as a member of Kingdom Hearts to protect her Planet after all – but it was a duty she wasn't all that enthusiastic about. Her magenta eyes revealed the innocent girl that she was.

'_Something's amiss,'_ Airlia thought to herself as she stared down at the world from the castle's tallest tower. A crucial life force was missing from the Planet. And she could not put her finger on whose it was. The peace that usually hung in the air was not whole. Granted, it could have been worse. They were lucky so far, as the Heartless had yet to find this world.

Off-key humming was easily picked up by her excellent sense of hearing. It was the same one she heard every morning as the court magician and trusted advisor made his way to the throne room to greet the King. Airlia flew from her perch, moving through the roof the corridor far below, just in time to see the mage heading her way.

The mage was, like close to all inhabitants on her Planet, an animal with higher intellect and personality. This one was that of a duck. The short mage, Donald, was dressed all in blues and purples; the staff held proudly in is feathered fingers. Donald was, and had been since childhood, one of the King's closest friends. Though his beak often got him into trouble, there was no one braver than Donald. The short-tempered mage had a habit of spouting off to anyone who dared provoke him, and his magic was unparallel to anyone in the entire kingdom. This morning however, the duck seemed to be in a good mood. The off-key hum was emitting from his smiling bill as he trotted along the stone corridor. The enchanted broom, mop, and pail servants passed him with a bow.

The magician and the spirit soon came to a pair of giant doors set into the stone wall, each bearing the insignia of the King. The duck turned to face the door, standing at attention. Then he gave a dignified "ahem" and rapped his knuckles against the doors. A small square about four feet high opened, a smaller door, and the duck made his way into the throne room beyond.

Airlia followed Donald through the massive doors, laughing as she did so. It was so funny to see him act so dignified when he really wasn't. She had watched him and his group enough to know that.

"Good morning Your Majesty," Donald greeted as he made his way to the other end of the great throne room. At the far end of the hall was a high-backed marble throne with the court insignia at its head. On either side of the regal throne were two giant statues that made her laugh every time she saw them. The King had had them put in when he had taken the throne. They were of his closest and most honorable friends: Donald the court magi, and Goofy captain of the Royal Knights. As both were still young when appointed, their clothes were baggy, and the hats of their respective positions flopped forward into their eyes.

But something was amiss. The throne was empty. _'That's strange,'_ Airlia thought, _'the King is usually up and about by now…'_

Donald was blissfully ignorant to this fact, and continued his stroll down the violet carpet. "It's nice to see you this morn-" The magician stopped, finally aware of the ruler's absence. "…What…?"

Both the mage and the spirit watched in tense silence as the words echoed emptily off the high arched ceiling. For a long time the marble hall was silent, and then a muffled sound came from behind the high-backed throne. A small tuft of yellow fur poked out from behind the throne. Large black eyes blinked out at the magician. It was Pluto, the King's lovable hound. In his jaw he held a yellowed envelope. Airlia drifted closer, the magician unknowingly following close behind.

Donald gently extracted the envelope from the hound's grip, turning it over in his feathered fingers. It had the King's seal on it! The envelope was torn open in a flash, the folded parchment inside falling into his open hand. The duck unfolded the parchment, hurriedly skimming over the ink. Airlia read over his shoulder, eyes widening as she went further and further down the page.

Both the spirit and mage blinked.

Then such a cry rose from Donald's bill as the poor mage shot from the hall, leaving the frozen Airlia behind.

_The King had left the Planet._

_'Why would the King leave at a time like this?!'_ Airlia was panicking for the first time in nearly a millennia. Her Planet was chosen to house the knowledge and wisdom of the universe in its Great Library. The King – especially the one now occupying the throne – was the most wise man in the universe. Just as valuable, if not more, than the Keyblade Master. They couldn't lose him! 'I have to tell Shidousha!' 

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The core of Kingdom Hearts reflected the balance of light and dark in the universe. Every heart of every being was reflected in this one sphere. The balance of light and dark are usually equal, but lately the balance was being tipped in the direction of the dark. It worried its keeper, Shidousha.

The spirit stood before the great sphere, puzzling over the fate of the universe. The darkness was growing at an alarmingly fast rate. Almost _too_ fast. It made her wonder if they really stood a chance.

"SHIDOUSHA!"

The woman turned at her name. Airlia, the spirit of Disney Castle, stood not far behind her, an alarmed expression marring her pretty face.

"Airlia-chan?" she asked, "What is it? Daijoubu?"

"King Mickey," the other spirit gasped, "he's left the Planet. He's heading for Kingdom Hearts, I know it!"

Shidousha stood frozen for a moment. "…Nani?" she breathed. That stupid man… that stupid, stupid man. He was supposed to the wisest man in the universe, and yet he pulls a stunt like this! "Of all the times…"

"'Dousha?" Airlia asked tentatively.

"Go back to your Planet, Airlia-chan. Find out anything more that you can on the King's disappearance."

"Yes ma'am." Airlia vanished from her sight, stepping through the portal back to her world. Alone again, Shidousha sighed. It was just one more thing she had to deal with. First the Keyblade Master, the Heartless, Holy, and now this.

"Why don't you send Oshu-san to search for the King?" came a voice at her side. Shidousha didn't even bother to look.

"Oshu-san is already on a quest to locate Holy. He does not need another burden placed upon his shoulders," she replied, "You, however…" The spirit finally turned to face the cloaked figure at her side. "You are mostly free from any burden. Why don't you search for him? You did a good job at helping Jigoku-san, by the way."

A melodious laugh came from the shadow under the cloak's hood. "Only helping where it is needed, Shidousha-sama. I'd like to check up on her every once in a while – with your permission, of course."

Shidousha found herself chuckling humorlessly. "_Of course._ I suppose you're taking my offer then?"

"The King is as good as found." With a short bow, the cloaked figure vanished in the same matter Airlia did.

Shidousha looked back up at the great sphere before her. This was going to be a real gamble. The universe was on a one-way trip towards darkness, and the few people they had to count on to save it were either too inexperienced, or missing.

'_Oh this…this is going to be a long and difficult road.'_

**End Chapter 6.**

**AN:** I'll try and have the next chapter up by New Year's. Or at least not too long after. It's winter break and I don't have much to do anyways!


	9. Chapter 7: A Journey of Salvation and Re...

**Not So Standard Disclaimer:** And for today's guest, the neko-youkai Katsura!

Katsura: Nya! This is Kat here of the OMPU to say a few things. One, we of the OMPU don't own Kingdom Hearts. And two, please enjoy the great chapter with my lovable boyfriend: Unmei! Nya!

**Rating:** PG-13 for language, violence, gore, and future romance

**Genre:** Action/Adventure/Romance

**Summary:** Her planet was the first to go. And she was killed in the process. Now she must become a guardian to the only one who can save them to redeem herself... if her spirit can stay remotely sane along the way. (My take on who the "All-knowing voice" is.)

**AN:** I know, I know, just when you thought I was getting better. Er… did I say New Year's? I meant President's Day…. Er…yeah… -dodges projectiles- Eh heh…

_Review Corner: _

**Rurouni Saiyan: **Erm… you're still with me right? You haven't died from waiting… right? Eh heh. I really do appreciate you reviewing like you have… not even my own sisters can show their support anymore… -tear-

* * *

**.:Guardian of Keys:.**

_Chapter 7: A Journey of Salvation and Redemption_

* * *

Day two on Destiny Islands. 

Her morning wasn't all that bad either. She woke up surprisingly refreshed and alert. Unmei was right, she supposed. Sora was just beginning to awake from the world of slumber, and JT quickly separated from his mind. The teenager took no notice of this, whether it be because of his near-unconscious state or simply because he _couldn't_ feel it.

JT didn't wait for him to awake, and left for the "Island of the Children" immediately after separating. The boy would be fine without her for one morning, she decided. The sun was just rising above the horizon. She didn't feel like waiting for him to be ready.

The Island of the Children was deserted when she got there – unsurprisingly. There were no mortals anywhere on the island. Good, that made the chances of finding Unmei here even better. She had a bone to pick with him. JT found him some minutes later, leaning against one of the palm trees on the bay side of the island. He was staring out at the vast ocean before him. His eyes were hollow, distant – but fortunately back to their normal multicolor hues.

He was deep in thought, that much she knew, for he didn't even move as she approached him. "So," she began, making him jump, "what was that, last night?"

The red-haired spirit shifted uncomfortably. "I'd rather… not talk about it."

Raven brows rose, disappearing beneath her crimson bandana. "I believe I deserve to know. Whatever it is has threatened my existence twice now."

"I suppose," Unmei sighed, conceding. He was silent for a few moments. "There's…" He paused, shifting uncomfortably again. "There's something wrong with my spirit. I hear voices, up here." He pointed a long finger to his temple. "They talk constantly, influencing my moods… sometimes I'm unable to control it."

JT plopped down next to him on the sand. "And the one that tried to kill me…?"

"Anger… stress… insanity… hate…" he chuckled darkly, "…fire." That one was muttered almost to himself. She chose not to ask what was so funny.

"Dark feelings, huh?"

"More or less." An awkward silence passed over them. They continued to stare out at the great ocean before them.

"Er… Unmei?" JT said at last, "What are the Great Spirits?"

"Ah, and now it has become a question and answer session…" he smirked, glancing slyly at her. "Okay, I'll tell you the story. It's my job to keep you informed anyway. In the beginning there was only the core of Kingdom Hearts. There were no stars, no Planets, not even Heartless. Just the great sphere of energy that all beings are born from. Eventually the Planet of Makai was formed around it, and the spirit Shidousha was born. She was the First, the oldest of the Great Spirits, and the protector/keeper of Kingdom Hearts. And so Kingdom Hearts gave her the Wutain name 'Shidousha' to show her leadership. Then twelve other spirits were born. They were the First Brood, or rather the Great Spirits: Katsu, Yuki, Airlia, Matsya, Crystal and Ashley Phoenix, Ambrose, Katsura, Ryuuyoukai, Hikari, Sakka, myself, and Stela.

"We are the Great Spirits – the only Spirits that are capable of taking humanoid form. We are the strongest Spirits of Kingdom Hearts. We are charged to watch over our respective Planets for all of eternity. We watch as beings are born, live, and die. We care for their souls within our cores. We know and remember each and every one of them."

JT clucked her tongue. "Interesting… I suppose it makes sense… you people play 'God' with our lives." She laughed darkly, falling back on the sand with her hands tucked behind her head with her eyes closed.

There was a tense pause from her companion.

"Aren't you going to ask me about your little sister? About what happened to her?"

Her eyes didn't even open. "Hn. If you feel it's important, go ahead."

Another tense silence, and then a sigh.

"Your sister… long silver hair, blue eyes, just a teenager… right?"

JT nodded, eyes still shut. "You know her?"

"I know _of_ her. The last of the Race of Warriors AKA the youkai… who _couldn't_ know of her in Kingdom Hearts? We watched out for her for nearly a year after Makai's destruction, Shidousha and Katsu especially. And then it happened again…like a bad dream we couldn't wake up from. The Heartless came again. They attacked the Planet of Hollow Bastion, and destroyed the people with ease. There were seven survivors, I think. Your sister was on that Planet… and she wasn't one of the seven."

This time JT did open her eyes, though slowly, with a sort of dark smirk across her face. "Hm, interesting. So the mystery is solved then. Y'know… you Great Spirits are incredibly coldhearted… looking on as those you are charged to protect die… but I do suppose that after existing so long, you kind of get used to it, ne?" The hanyou turned to her companion, gauging his expression. The spirit was staring at her in shock, though she really couldn't understand why, with his flashing eyes trained on her own.

"You call _me _coldhearted…? I just told you that your younger sister has been dead for nine years," he said at length, "Don't you care?"

Her answer was swift and without second thought, icy eyes not moving from his. "No."

* * *

The rest of the morning was uneventful and slightly awkward. "Slightly" being an understatement. Not that she really cared. The hanyou immediately resumed her training in the mystical arts. 

Summoning low-level fire spells, she found, was much easier than it had been the day before. It took half the time to summon, with half as much effort. Unmei had curtly said that this was to be expected, as her spirit was starting to remember the ways to cast magic. She wasn't even exhausting herself as she had done the previous day.

Eventually, Unmei held up a hand for her to stop. "You're doing well," he told her stiffly, as he had been since their conversation that morning, "Maybe tomorrow we'll start working on another spell. Go rest for a bit."

And so JT sat in the shade of a palm tree to watch the goings on of the children. The young girl with red hair – Kairi, she believed Sora had called her – had been there for quite some time. Both she and the boy, Riku, had spent about an hour building a raft of some kind. Her charge was nowhere in sight. Riku had disappeared to the other half of the bay, which left Kairi sitting alone on the raft.

…She really had turned into a heartless bitch, hadn't she? That thought amused her somewhat. Nine years ago, she would've – at the very least – gone on a rampage to track down her sister's murderer. She wouldn't have stopped until she had her revenge. But now… she only felt the slightest twinge of remorse over her death. Her last conversation with Unmei kept playing over and over in her head.

_"You call **me **coldhearted…? I just told you that your younger sister has been dead for nine years. Don't you care?" _

_"No."_

In some distant part of her mind, that both frightened and disgusted her. She had become selfish and self-centered. Always asking what was in it for her, and not what it could do for others. And what was worse: she really didn't care. Was that the way that she honored the memories of her mentors back during the war – the people who taught her what it meant to be a warrior? Shidousha surely knew this – what she'd become. So why make her the Keyblade Master's guardian?

The warrior watched bemusedly as her charge went suddenly zooming past the grove, Riku hot on his heels. They raced up the cliff and out of sight, before coming back down again and charging back the way they came. Tch… kids. They were so annoying with their petty competitions and squabbles. She would've run herself through if she had ever acted in such a manner.

And there she went again, reflecting on the past. When would she learn? Past regret. Do not reflect. Bad JT, bad. She reclined against the thick trunk of the palm tree. She decided just to wait things out a bit, until Unmei told her it was time to start training again.

So she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Damn, this place could be pretty boring. No wonder those three wanted to get out of this place. Not that they'd get very far. It was an ocean Planet with only a handful of islands – most of which were already inhabited. Those kids were just asking for trouble. Not that it was any of her business. They could do whatever they wished.

JT let out a small yawn. _'Maybe I'll… just take a short rest…'_

* * *

_Thump… thump…_

She twitched, pulling herself from slumber. When had she fallen asleep? Could spirits even fall asleep like that?

_Thump…_

And what was that noise? JT opened her eyes, blinking as the glaring sunlight assaulted them. How long had she been asleep? Not long she supposed. The girl, Kairi, was still near the raft, and Unmei had yet to come retrieve her for more training. There was another low 'thump' and she looked to the direction of the sound.

It was Sora. The boy was examining a coconut at his feet, frowning in concentration. It was almost… cute, she decided. Her charge poked the fruit with his wooden sword, frowned, and moved on. He came to the next tree and hit the trunk with his sword, making another coconut fall at his feet. He examined it too, then frowned, and the process began all over again. For three more times she watched him do this, somewhere between amusement and confusion. Once in that time, a soft green coconut had fallen. The boy's face had split in a wide grin and he had scooped it up with his free hand. And then he continued on with his pointless activity.

Well, not _pointless_… the boy was apparently looking for green coconuts.

When the boy neared her tree, he stopped suddenly. He stood frozen, eyes wide and trembling. He glanced wildly about, before landing directly on her – as if he could actually see her. _'Ah, maybe not,'_ she amended; smirking inwardly as she realized his gaze was pointed in the general direction of her shoulder. He breathed in deeply, calming himself. "Spirit," he said, only a slight tremor in his voice, "I know you're there. What do you want from me?" When she didn't answer, he faltered. "A-Answer me!" he demanded, trying to sound brave.

She gave him points for effort, she really did. But she wouldn't have been able to talk to him even if she wanted to. She was restrained to speaking to him only in dreams, and not even very often at that, according to her "mentor". She wasn't strong enough for anything more than that yet.

Sora was losing his composure fast, much to her malicious glee.

JT watched as the boy turned away from her tree, walking up to the one near her. He kept glancing back, obviously feeling her eyes on his back. He apparently was trying to ignore her, however, as the boy hastily set about retrieving the next coconut. He slashed relentlessly at the thick trunk. But nothing happened. There was no "prize" waiting at his feet.

He groaned. "Aw…man…" Sora peered up into the green leaves, trying to see if there actually was a coconut up there.

From her viewpoint, JT could see the fore-mentioned fruit. It was a green one too.

But the stem was far too thick for it to simply be knocked down. She crossed her arms and leaned back, content with watching him struggle. And struggle he did. He tried slashing at the tree again – unsuccessfully. Then he got frustrated, dropping the wooden sword to the ground. _'Hn… amusing boy…'_ she thought, watching as the teen latched onto the tree and began climbing his way up it. He nimbly grasped the rough bark, propelling upwards with ease. Sora quickly reached the top, his prize close at hand. He reached for the fruit, he was so close.

And then he slipped, and went crashing upon the sand. JT snickered inwardly at the boy's plight. Now _this_ was entertainment. The hanyou continued to observe, wondering what the boy would try next. Sora slowly rose into a sitting position. He yelped suddenly, lifting his wrist from the ground. He held it gingerly, carefully undoing the fingerless glove and removing it. His wrist was red, and swelling fast. A sprained wrist.

JT rolled her eyes, a darkly amused smirk still tugging at her lips. Kami-sama, all this over a coconut. She stood from her place at the base of the tree, and approached her charge. His eyes shakily followed her general movement, though he was still a bit off. She stared down at him, expression suddenly drawn into a tight-lipped scowl. Stupid boy.

'_Yes… stupid boy indeed,'_ some part of her mind hissed darkly, _'Look at him, how he trembles in fright at your very presence. That's how it **should** be. He thinks he's so great and that he can order **you** around like some common slave – when it is **you** who is superior to **him**! **You** are superior in both strength and prowess. This mere **boy** is no match for you.'_

The rest of her seemed to agree to this, as grotesque visions of the many ways she could slaughter this insolent brat (which, due to their nature and the fear that I'll be attacked by the massive Sora-fan base, will not be described in further detail. n.n) flashed across her mind's eye. These thoughts, coupled with the sight of the injured boy at her feet, brought a bizarre satisfaction to her. An emotion that she had not known she had bubbled up from her core. With it came what would have been a tightening in her chest cavity (had she possessed a body), and the spiritual sensation of colors: green, red, with and outlining of black and blue. The visions promptly vanished as fast as they came.

'_At least… if you were **alive**… like him…'_ Realization struck her in such a way that JT was forced to back away a few steps. Her ice-blue eyes became wide a fearful, almost matching the boy's expression perfectly. The boy, who was still clutching at his sprained wrist, swung his eyes upwards.

And locked with her own.

It felt as if a vice had clamped down upon her, the living sensation of being smothered crashing upon her like a tidal wave. Neither boy nor spirit looked away. Neither _could_.

For JT it was as if her entire brain had shut down, save for one thought: she **had** to get out of there.

* * *

He _knew _she was there. The spirit that had been haunting him since he had that dream. There was a sense of malice that hung in the air… and it was getting closer. He could feel the terror begin squeeze at his heart like a vice. It wasn't so bad when he could _see_ her, at least then he could keep a constant eye on her. Now he was vulnerable, and the perfect victim. 

And then suddenly… it stopped.

The malicious air about him instantly vanished, replaced with something else that he could feel in the back of his mind. Shock, realization… and bone-chilling terror.

This was the same spirit he'd spoken to the night before…right?

Something flashed in his mind's eye: an image superimposed on the scenery of the small grove. It was _her._ He blinked once, staring into the woman's strange eyes. Her form tensed considerably when their eyes locked, more fear filling them. What was going on? Why could he see her? Sora opened his mouth, intent on addressing the spirit once again.

"Sora…! Hey, Sora!" He looked back over his shoulder. Kairi was dashing towards him, one of her trusty potions in hand. The twinge in the back of his mind told him that he didn't need to look to know the spirit had fled.

* * *

On the other side of the island, in the large cavity in the hollow tree to be exact, the spirit of Jigoku Tenshi sat huddled in the darkest corner. She was comforted by the shadows' embrace – an all to mortal desire: not to be seen. JT stared unblinkingly at the far wall, knowing that if she were alive her heart would've been leaping into her throat from realization and fear. 

Kami-sama, she _envied_ the boy.

She wasn't stupid. She knew what happened to dead souls who became envious of the living. Envy became jealousy. Jealousy became hate…

And then they became monsters without minds, their only goal to destroy any living being they came across. The conscious minds that had been their soul turned utterly black and disappeared forever. She'd encountered them many times during the war – most soldiers did. Most of the ones she'd fought were pretty weak, but she'd seen men be ripped apart by the stronger ones. She herself had, had her fair share of near-death experiences with the stronger ones. They were truly things to fear. Becoming one was every youkai's worst fear – JT's as well.

The hanyou found herself choking down a whimper of fright. She was about a fourth of the way to becoming one of those… fiends. "I don't want to disappear…" she breathed fearfully, inwardly wincing at how small and pitiful she sounded.

"Y'know… there are ways to keep yourself from becoming a fiend." JT didn't look up, that voice was unmistakable.

"Leave me alone, Unmei," she hissed, her icy façade instantly returning. "I'm not in the mood."

The powerful spirit chuckled, stepping away from the doorway and approaching her secluded corner. "I wasn't kidding," he said as he sat himself beside her. "I've seen a lot of souls pass through her in my years. Some become fiends, some don't. Would ya like to know how?"

JT glanced sideways at him. "I have a feeling I'll find out either way."

The red-haired spirit grinned. "Of course! Y'see, those who became fiends are nothing but souls who have lost their way on the road of existence. They lose their way and begin to envy the living for their ability to know their purpose. Those who resist are truly amazing beings. They never lose sight of their purpose in limbo and think only of that purpose.

"Technically, JT, you are a lost soul – as you couldn't find your way into the afterlife – and could quite easily become a fiend. The only way to prevent it is to find your purpose and believe in it. I suppose the question I should be asking is: why are you here?"

JT was silent for a moment. "I… I'm here… to protect the Keyblade Master."

Unmei snorted, apparently unconvinced. "That's what you were told, but you obviously don't believe it."

"How can I?" she exclaimed. "He's a _child_!"

"Heh heh, pot – kettle – black. You fought in the 'Great War' at the age of thirteen onward, remember? Or is your memory back with your honor in the Void where you lost it?"

The icy mask faltered, genuine confusion showing through. "How?"

"Most of us Great Spirits know of you. You were one of 'Dousha's favorites, after all. You were an outcast, yet you continued to live on with honor and pride. All of us know of your deeds." Then he looked at her with a sad sort of grin, his gaze hardening and changing to a fierce orange. "Now that I meet you face-to-face, I can't help but wonder: what happened to that great warrior of Makai? You used to fight for honor and those you cared for. You were this great samurai warrior. Now look at you! You only care about yourself! You've lowered yourself to the level you hated in life!"

JT lowered her eyes from his. He was right, she had changed – changed into the very thing she had hated most: a fighter with no honor. During her life she would've sooner committed seppuku (Japanese ritual suicide) than give up her honor. Now she was just a selfish, weak shell of what she once was.

"Kat insists the old JT is in there y'know… so does 'Dousha, Kari, Crys, and even Ash."

The hanyou raised her eyes hesitantly. "Who…?"

"You'll meet them later… if you don't turn yourself into a fiend first," Unmei sighed, and then continued apologetically. "Look, I'm not saying they're wrong, it's possible. This is more than just a journey to protect the Keyblade Master for you. 'Dousha chose you because she didn't want to see you lost forever. This is a journey of salvation and redemption. It's your second chance. You should take it into consideration." Silence fell over them. "A journey of salvation and redemption"? Her?

"Unmei," she began, "what good is it? Both you and I can't even harm the Heartless – they're of the _physical_ world. How can I protect him if I can barely handle a few spells?"

"Well," he replied, "in reality there are two kinds of Heartless. The ones of the physical realm that attack the body, and then there are those of the spiritual realm – which the living cannot see – that attack the soul itself, spreading fear and despair through their prey in order to weaken them. You probably felt it when Makai was under attack. The spiritual Heartless are the ones you have to protect Sora against, as they do greater damage. You can assist Sora with the Heartless of the physical realm from time to time by using magic on them – though it'll take a lot of energy out of you. But the spiritual kind, you'll be pleased to know, you can fight as if you were alive with hand-to-hand combat, not just magic."

"Really?" JT asked, thoroughly pleased with the prospect of hand-to hand combat, "Good. That'll make things much-"

Both tensed as a blast of unexplainable anxiety swept through them. To JT, it was as if something had exploded in the back of her mind. _'This has happened before,'_ she realized, _'Last night before I went into the cave…'_

"Did you… feel that?" she asked aloud.

"Yes," Unmei replied, "that… that was the power of darkness. But it's… much stronger than anything I've ever felt…"

For a moment they stared at each other. Then realization dawned in their eyes with a gasp. "Sora!"

**End Chapter 7.**

**AN:** A bit of a cliffie… if anyone's still out there. -sigh-


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